Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

The following book review was written by Bobbi King: Family Trees By François Weil. Published by Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA. 2013. 304 pages. The book is subtitled “A History of Genealogy in America” and accurately reflects its content, a thorough study of the subject by a scholar who describes himself as a French historian of the United States. François Weil is Chancellor of the Universities of Paris, a professor of history, and former president of the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. M. Weil has prepared a well-researched and scholarly study of the evolution of genealogy in America... Dick Eastman

I know quite a few readers of this newsletter live in Provo, Utah. If you are one of them, you might be interested in today's announcement on the Google Blog: "Today the Google Fiber team is in Provo, Utah, where Mayor John Curtis just announced that we intend to make Provo our third Google Fiber City." In fact, Provo has had fiber optic connectivity for a while from a company called iProvo. Google is purchasing the company and is promising to "upgrade the network to gigabit technology and finish network construction so that every home along the existing iProvo network... Dick Eastman

The Washington Post has published an article by John Kelly, describing some of the humorous tombstones created for Eleanor Herman, a historian and author who lives in McLean, Virginia, and for some of her relatives. When Eleanor and her sister Christine buried their mother in 2001 at Baltimore’s Lorraine Park Cemetery, they were told tombstones are cheaper if ordered in bulk. So the sisters decided to buy their own at that time. They also got one for their Uncle Walter, whose grave in the family plot had been unmarked since his death 17 years earlier. They chose appropriate sayings for... Dick Eastman

This looks like a major addition to Family Tree Builder. The following announcement was written by MyHeritage: Updated version of world’s most popular free family history software now syncs with online and mobile, opens new channels for the discovery of historical records and is available for the first time also in Chinese, Japanese and Korean PROVO, Utah & TEL AVIV, Israel – April 17 2013: MyHeritage, the popular family history network, today announced the release of Family Tree Builder 7.0, free genealogy software that combines innovative technology with easy-to-use features. The millions of family history enthusiasts and genealogists worldwide using... Dick Eastman

Here is still one more attack on open records being launched by well-intentioned, but clueless, legislators. The following was copied from the Texas State Genealogical Society's (TSGS) web site: House Bill 3252 by Representative John Zerwas (Fort Bend County) would close Texas birth records for 125 years and Texas death records for 50 years. Under current Texas law, birth and death records now become public information 75 years after a birth and 25 years after a death. Proponents of the bill believe that closing birth and death records for 125 and 50 years will prevent identity theft and fraud. TSGS... Dick Eastman

The following announcement was received from the folks at Deceased Online: Trafford is 2nd council in Greater Manchester to add records to Deceased Online Burial and cremation records for Trafford Council in the south of Greater Manchester are being added to the specialist database website, www.deceasedonline.com All records for two of the Council's five cemeteries are immediately available. Hale (aka Altrincham) Cemetery opened in December 1894 and Stretford Cemetery opened in February 1885 The records comprise scans of burial registers, grave details and cemetery maps indicating section locations of graves. Click here for more information. Stretford Cemetery Map Hale Register... Dick Eastman

In partnership with Kent Family History Society, FindMyPast.co.uk recently added nearly 600,000 Kent Parish Records, covering a wide period of 1538-2006. Details may be found on the FindMyPast.co.uk blog at http://goo.gl/7lg9Q. Dick Eastman

FamilySearch has now released a video and a written description of changes announced recently at RootsTech. You can watch the video below and also you might want to read the text that follows. The following announcement was written by FamilySearch: New Online Tools Help Preserve and Share Precious Family Photos and Memories April 16, 2013 Features create connections and bring family stories to life SALT LAKE CITY — FamilySearch International, a nonprofit, volunteer-driven genealogy organization, announced the release of significant new enhancements to its web services that allow visitors to collaboratively build their family tree online, preserve and share precious... Dick Eastman

OK, how good is your knowledge of antique objects? The Thayer Academy archives is asking for your help identifying a recently-received donation. The barrel-shaped object was brought in this spring by a school buildings and grounds worker. He was given it by a contractor who is renovating one of the school’s houses. The object has a hopper on top and looks like a barrel. It has a shaft in the front with a handle on it; the shaft fits into a socket inside. It could fit on a large table top. You can read more in an article by Sue... Dick Eastman

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch: FamilySearch has added 2.4 million indexed records and images this week from Brazil, German, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Peru, Ukraine, the United States, and Venezuela. Notable collection updates include the 1,033,852 images from the new Netherlands, Bibliothéque Wallonne Card Indexes from ca. 1500-1858, collection, and the 449,478 images from the Germany, Brandenburg, Berlin Probate Records from 1796-1853, 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... Dick Eastman

The following announcement was written by Eneclann: As part of the Ferns Gathering, Eneclann, the award winning Irish Genealogy company, is sponsoring two workshops in Ferns, County Wexford, Ireland on June 8th, 2013. This is an opportunity to look at your family history in a unique environment. The workshops will give people who are interested in researching family history an introduction to family history research and access to Eneclann’s vast online databases. To assist those unfamiliar with online resources, computers and assistance from local volunteers will be available at the sessions. The workshops will be followed by lectures and a... Dick Eastman

You probably have heard the news of the explosions in Boston today. I can only add my condolences to those of many others who are thinking of the families of the two people killed, including one 8-year-old child. Likewise, I also am thinking of the more than 100 others who were injured, some seriously. I didn't mention it earlier in the newsletter but this afternoon I flew from Orlando to Boston. I remember looking at my watch when I got on the shuttle bus to go from the Boston airport out to the western suburbs. It was 2:38 PM. That... Dick Eastman

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. If some or all of your ancestors came from non-English speaking countries, you will probably need to translate some documents sooner or later. By far, the best known online translation service is Google Translate. However, the results from this service can sometimes be humorous. You can’t always trust Google Translate to be entirely accurate. The problem gets worse when it comes to archaic words, idioms, or technical terms. Actually, any automatic, machine-generated translation is going to be equally poor or worse. Luckily, Google is not the... Dick Eastman

This article is "off topic." That is, it is not genealogy related. In the United States, our criminal courts often use "home confinement" instead of sending a criminal to jail. A GPS tracking device is placed on the criminal, typically an ankle bracelet. The bracelet contains a tracking device that reports if the criminal leaves home. The device is not 100% reliable but generally works well. The criminal usually remains at home, no longer a danger to the public and not a financial drain on taxpayers who otherwise would need to pay for room and board while the criminal is... Dick Eastman

For more than a century, to be buried on Hart Island, off the coast of the Bronx, was to be essentially forgotten. It served as a burial place for unknown or indigent people. Close to one million people have been buried in the city’s Potter’s Field since 1869. Until recently, the names of the dead — when they could be identified — were simply scribbled into ledgers, which were largely inaccessible to the public. But on Wednesday, the city’s Department of Correction, which runs the cemetery, introduced a searchable database, available on its Web site, for people to look up... Dick Eastman

I don't know if this qualifies as genealogy or not, but it certainly is a part of my family heritage. As a child, I grew up eating lots of whoopie pies. I know whenever my mother made them, I would shout "Whoopie!" In fact, I think whoopie pies made me the man I am today: a diabetic. For those who do not know what a whoopie pie is, Wikipedia describes it as a "baked good that may be considered either a cookie, pie, or cake. It is made of two round mound-shaped pieces of chocolate cake, or sometimes pumpkin or... Dick Eastman

Another casting call for a television program has appeared in my in box. This one is looking for history buffs in the greater Washington, DC area. Quoting from the announcement: Casting Call – History Based Reality Cable TV Show in DC Are you a curious person, and obsessed with history? Can you recite facts inside and out, and name-drop (and even date-drop) with the best of them? Do your friends at trivia night, dare we say it, label you as the history buff? Maybe you're not a full-blown "buff" but if you like history and get psyched at the idea... Dick Eastman

The television documentary series “Genealogy Roadshow” will be in Austin, Nashville, San Francisco, and Detroit reuniting families with long lost relatives, and answering questions about their past, their history, and their lineage. The program's producer are looking for local citizens in those cities to appear on the program. Do you have a Family mystery you would like solved? Is there a missing piece or person in your family tree you’ve always wondered about? This might be your chance! You can read more at http://goo.gl/P9AYN. Dick Eastman

Allan Steel has been commended by the Otago Daily Times for his work in documenting and photographing graves and plaques of servicemen and women in Otago cemeteries to help family historians fill gaps. Steel said the more information available for genealogists the easier it was to create a family tree. "I know what it's like when you are trying to find a headstone for someone in a town that you can't get to. If someone in Auckland wants to get a photo of a plaque of his grandfather in Andersons Bay, then I'm making it available." He has photographed 5800... Dick Eastman

Google will now allow users to decide what happens to their data after they die or become inactive online. The feature applies to Google's Gmail service, social network Google Plus, Blogger, YouTube, photo-sharing service Picasa, and other services provided by Google. Google said users can opt to have their data deleted after three, six, nine or 12 months of inactivity. Alternatively, certain contacts can be sent data from some or all of their services. "We hope that this new feature will enable you to plan your digital afterlife - in a way that protects your privacy and security - and... Dick Eastman