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All Blog Posts (3,110)

Is certification of genealogists necessary?

The term professional commonly means being paid or compensated for work rather than doing work for free. But, the word also implies excellence in the various skills employed by an individual in comparison to others less skilled. Historically, professionals sought prestige and mutual support from guilds. The guild system dates back into antiquity, pre-dating the Roman Empire in China and Egypt. Guilds, somewhat like modern labor unions, set professional standards and acted to protect the… Continue

Added by James Tanner on December 6, 2009 at 5:33pm — No Comments

Mystery Man Leaves £220,000 To 'Namesake' Towns

A man has left about £220,000 in his will to towns across the world which share his Douglas surname.

Solicitors acting on behalf of Eric Gordon Douglas, from Edinburgh, have sent a cheque for £10,887.73 to Douglas Borough Council on the Isle of Man as part of the bequest.

But the council for the island's capital has appealed for more information on Mr Douglas in order to recognise his donation.

Council leader David Christian said: "There was around £220,000 left… Continue

Added by William Douglas on December 6, 2009 at 4:17am — No Comments

Mesa, Arizona Family History Expo 2010

January 22nd and 23rd will find me at the Mesa, Arizona Family History Expo where I have been asked to serve as a Blogger of Honor. To quote the Website:

We have invited some very special 'Bloggers of Honor' to provide you with information on their blogs and via Twitter throughout the two-day Expo. Other attendees will be using Twitter to communicate highlights of the activities, share photos, and link to blog posts, while also providing additional related information.

Everyone… Continue

Added by James Tanner on December 5, 2009 at 2:15pm — No Comments

Robert Frost, Derry resident

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California, taught school in Massachusetts, and died in Vermont, yet he will forever be loved as a New Hampshire Poet. He lived in New Hampshire between 1895 and 1938. His first book was title “North of Boston” and his fifth book was titled “New Hampshire”.

As another nod to his Derry residence, Frost’s eighth book was titled “West Running Brook” after the stream near his farmstead. This fame has caused a… Continue

Added by Heather Wilkinson Rojo on December 4, 2009 at 10:06am — No Comments

Changes to New FamilySearch

Technically, New FamilySearch is still in the Beta Test stage of its development, even though the program has been available to a limited number of users for over two years. In a Help Center release of December 4, 2009, the latest Beta Test version is designated the "new FamilySearch .99 beta." I would guess from this designation that a "final" release version is imminent, but given the long introduction time of the program, imminent may mean some considerable time yet. Recently, there has been… Continue

Added by James Tanner on December 4, 2009 at 9:04am — No Comments

Christmas Ornaments

Christmas Ornaments yes I have some, some rather old some rather new. I bought a New Hallmark for a grandchild today, in hopes it will serve as warm memories over years.

Our first Christmas 50 years ago was spent apart. He was on Guam and I was with my family in California.

I was to go to Guam but change of command changed all those plans.

I shared Christmas with my family and as they upgraded their trimmings they would offer me the used items.

I was delighted to… Continue

Added by Susi (Susan C Jones) Pentico on December 3, 2009 at 7:50pm — 1 Comment

Step One in Creating Your Family History Book

Before entering into writing your family history book, one thing is key; organization. Hopefully, as you have been researching your ancestors leading up to writing your book, you have put an organizational system in place for your research. However, if you haven't, then it is still not too late to get organized. If your goal from the beginning has been to create a family history book then how you organize your research can aid in the writing of your book. If you haven't put a system in place… Continue

Added by Lynn Palermo on December 3, 2009 at 2:24pm — No Comments

Veterans

My mission in life is helping Veterans, many veterans do not have their medals, docs, va health care. Please let me know if you know any veterans who need my free help. I was just able to help a shipmate who was not able to get his medals since 1963, in 6 weeks he got his medals including a Bronze Star.Bruce,Seaweedman

Added by bruce butler on December 3, 2009 at 12:19pm — No Comments

Christmas Advent

The days before Christmas are filled with much meaning.

The hours before Christmas fill me with care.

I am hoping the thanks for the family and friends

will bring a new warming amongst humans.

Each day is filled with meaning and purpose and

prayer.

May we present ourselves in a manner that

God is pleased.

The world is large and many are hungry

we are a nation of much that can share.

Let us hope we can make this a… Continue

Added by Susi (Susan C Jones) Pentico on December 3, 2009 at 12:23am — 1 Comment

December 2, 2009 - American Chronicle

Legacy Multimedia: Visual Storyteller Stefani Twyford Reaches Far Beyond Celebrity Life Stories. Featured article in the American Chronicle - December 2, 2009

Added by Stefani Twyford on December 2, 2009 at 7:55pm — No Comments

A Guide to Research

Where do you go to get started in genealogy? Even if you have been involved in genealogy for years, where do you go to be reminded of how to research effectively? What if you are asked about how to get started? What do you say? There are quite a few how-to books but they are generally more than a few pages long and don't lend themselves to answering immediate questions. OK, if I asked the question, it must have an opinion about the answer. The answer is, you may wish to consider using the… Continue

Added by James Tanner on December 1, 2009 at 5:59pm — No Comments

Healys and Crosbys from Massachusetts to Chebogue, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

From Cape Code to Nova Scotia to Beverly, Massachusetts

My ancestor Joseph Edwin Healey arrived in Massachusetts from Nova Scotia sometime between his marriage in 1848 and the birth of his first child in Beverly, in 1852. I’m not sure if he arrived on a boat, but being a mariner, he probably sailed to his new home with his new bride. He is listed as a sailor or mariner on his children’s birth records in Beverly, and as a fisherman on the… Continue

Added by Heather Wilkinson Rojo on December 1, 2009 at 4:00pm — 5 Comments

Still Finding California Gold

While a lot of genealogical research can feel like you’re just slowly sifting your way through a soggy mountain of old data to occasionally discover a few tiny grains of precious family history, once in awhile your heart leaps with the thrill of finding those golden nuggets which add to the genuinely rich heritage that is the family saga.

As a direct descendant of some of California’s earliest European explorers and settlers, I am also related to most of the other early Spanish… Continue

Added by William S Dean on December 1, 2009 at 1:15am — 3 Comments

Shall I upgrade to Windows 7?

The best thing I can say about Windows 7 after a few weeks of working with the program is that it is rather ordinary. There are no outstanding issues. There are no glitches or bugs. It just does the job an operating system is supposed to do. Now, as a genealogist, I have some other questions to ask.

What about the price? It is rather expensive, the prices at the larger retailers runs close to $300 with a few prices below that. The one big drawback is the upgrade from Windows XP is… Continue

Added by James Tanner on November 30, 2009 at 10:41pm — No Comments

Time to Write That Holiday Letter

The annual tradition of the holiday letter is a great way to keep in touch with our far-flung loved ones; an opportunity to update friends and family on career changes, family news and other achievements of the past year. Often it’s the only communication we have with some of our friends. Traditionally, these letters have earned the reputation as a vehicle for self-aggrandizement. Bragging about the clever things our kids have done or a laundry list of vacations and fabulous social occasions… Continue

Added by Stefani Twyford on November 30, 2009 at 11:51am — No Comments

Days With My Father by Philip Toledano

My son recently sent me a link to a beautiful website called “Days With My Father.” It is a beautiful and sentimental photo gallery done by a professional photographer with his writings about dealing with the final stages of his father’s Alzheimers Disease.

As someone whose work it is to preserve memories, I found this a beautiful and touching memorial. I sent it out to several of my friends who sent me back emails thanking me for sharing the link and how much they really appreciated… Continue

Added by Stefani Twyford on November 30, 2009 at 11:39am — No Comments

Family Tree Connection - Update (29/Nov/2009)

Family Tree Connection has added the following genealogy items to its database:

Pasdena Opportunity Club 1897-1920 - Opportunity Club, Pasadena - California. Organized 1897.

Boston Gentlemen's Driving Club 1906 Membership - Gentlemen's Driving Club of Boston, By-Laws, Rules and List of Members, 1906. This association…

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Added by Illya Daddezio on November 29, 2009 at 10:56pm — 1 Comment

Season's Greetings and It's cool outside.

Greetings one and all,

Since my computer still not working correctly I thought I would add my Season's Greetings to ye all at this time.

Family is visiting and medical things happening with family. Time is limited and it makes me remember to be thankful

for all that we have. We are blessed with a roof over our head, food to eat and clothes to wear. We also have a vehicle for transportation and some of the greatest friends and family in the world.

Reminicing… Continue

Added by Susi (Susan C Jones) Pentico on November 28, 2009 at 8:51pm — No Comments

Search strategy online for ancestors

What is the best strategy for searching online for your ancestors? Surprisingly, there are few simple rules that will lead to a dramatic increase in the reliability of the returns from a search with any search engine, be it Google, Yahoo, Ask, Alta Vista, Bing or whichever. These rules also work with nearly all of the online databases, including Ancestry.com, WorldVitalRecords and many others.

Before getting into the search rules, you must first understand tiny bit about a very… Continue

Added by James Tanner on November 28, 2009 at 5:09pm — No Comments

See your world (and history) in a new way

Many of the newer versions of genealogical database programs now contain some form of a mapping program. But the world of maps has changed and unless you have investigated the possibilities lately, you cannot imagine how interesting and dramatic the mapping world has become and you have missed the boat unless you know about 360 degree spherical views of places around the world.

How would you like to have this picture (and millions of others)?…

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Added by James Tanner on November 27, 2009 at 9:18am — No Comments