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UPDATE: The web site now reports "Sold Out!." There has been a lot of discussion lately on this newsletter's web site about handheld scanners. (See http://goo.gl/vU1pM for my past articles.) These devices are great for genealogists when visiting libraries or archives as well as for dozens of other purposes as well. For instance, I scan all my incoming printed mail except for the junk mail and then I throw away the paper. I prefer to have a permanent record of everything worth saving in Evernote where I can find and retrieve anything within seconds, even when I am traveling. Now... Dick Eastman

The following announcement was written by the Federation of Genealogical Societies: March 28, 2013 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces a new partnership with Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft genealogischer Verbände e. V. (DAGV), an umbrella organization of genealogical and heraldic associations in Germany, in order to further the exchange of ideas and information between genealogists and family historians across the globe. Originally announced during the recent RootsTech 2013 conference in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, March 23, 2013, FGS and DAGV will work to “develop technical solutions to preserve and present records and to increase the mutual... Dick Eastman

I recently had a chance to talk with Dirk Weissleder, National Chairman of the DAGV (Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft genealogischer Verbände e. V. ), the federation of genealogical societies in Germany. Dirk talked about his start in genealogy, beginning in 1982, and the work he has done since then. Our conversation took place at the RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dirk talked about the cooperative agreement that had just been signed between DAGV and the (U.S.) Federation of Genealogical Societies. Our conversation was videotaped and is now available at http://youtu.be/B_Jm71UxPvg or you can click on the image below: Dick Eastman

I have written before about Backblaze, the popular online backup service. You can see my earlier articles if you start at http://goo.gl/6aBis. Backblaze also was a sponsor last week at RootsTech. Now the company is offering a free introductory offer for new customers to try the service. Starting immediately and running through the end of World Backup Day (March 31, 2013 11:59 PM PDT), new Backblaze Mac and PC users can sign up to receive 3 months of the Backblaze online backup service for free (a $15 value). Here's your chance to get your friends, family, and coworkers backing up... Dick Eastman

You can now read this newsletter on your "smartphone" or tablet computer. If you go to m.eogn.com, you will see the same great newsletter as always except that it will be formatted especially for your iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, or Blackberry's small screen. Try it: http://m.eogn.com. Please note there is no "www" in the address as that will take you to the web site that is formatted for larger screens. For smaller screens, enter: http://m.eogn.com. You might want to bookmark that address in your handheld device. NOTE: http://m.eogn.com will also work on your desktop or laptop computer, but will look... Dick Eastman

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The following book review was written by Bobbi King: Better Than Sliced Bread: Genealogy and Technology. Published by the Silicon Valley Computer Genealogy Group, Santa Clara, CA. 2009. 184 pages. This is a paperback edition of selected-as-best articles from the Silicon Valley Computer Technology Group’s newsletter, the “PastFinder.” Some readers may recognize this group in their earlier incarnation as the Silicon Valley PAF Users Group, originated as an early PAF Users Group. Their previous newsletter was circulated as the “PAFinder.” PAF (Personal Ancestral File) is the genealogy software provided by FamilySearch, and one of the earliest genealogy software programs available... Dick Eastman

The following information was received from Joshua Stahlman, Archivist at the Pennsylvania State Archives: Archives Without Tears is an affordable workshop for those who do or aspire to work or volunteer in organizations that deal with the past in an archival capacity—whether it’s a museum; private, non-profit, or college archives; the city clerk’s office; the library’s local history room; or a historic site. You’ll get practical archival advice, sample forms and policies, and learn basic practices so that you can collect, preserve, and assist researchers with the archival treasures in your care. The following information was received from Joshua Stahlman,... Dick Eastman

Over 389,000 South London (Surrey) burials for the period 1545-1905, with a handful (18) up to 1957 plus one as late as 1980, are available for searching on www.origins.net. The South London Burials Index contains surname and forename, age where given in the register, year of burial, parish and additional info / notes, which may include information such as addresses, parents names and other personal details. This collection can help you locate individuals who were living in Greater London at a particular time, i.e. before the date of their death. It is also likely (though you cannot be 100% sure)... Dick Eastman

The following announcement was written by the National Genealogical Society: ARLINGTON, VA, 27 March 2013: Speakers as well as organizations interested in sponsoring lectures or tracks are invited to submit lecture proposals by 1 April 2013 for the NGS 2014 Family History Conference, Virginia: The First Frontier, to be held 7–10 May 2014 in Richmond, Virginia. Building on the records and history that draw so many back to their roots in the Old Dominion, we will explore the origins of those who settled within Virginia’s borders whether they came by land or sea. Among the topics being considered are lectures... Dick Eastman

The following announcement was written by the National Genealogical Society: ARLINGTON, VA, 27 March 2013: The National Genealogical Society will be presenting a hands-on research trip to Washington, DC, from 3–9 November 2013. Under the guidance of Craig Roberts Scott, cgSM, and Patricia Walls Stamm, cgSM, cglSM, twenty-six researchers will use the genealogical resources at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library, and the Library of Congress (LOC). The Research Package includes: Six days of research at three noteworthy Washington, DC, facilities (the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the Daughters... Dick Eastman

Inside a Catholic convent deep in St. Augustine's historic district, stacks of centuries-old, sepia-toned papers offer clues to what life was like for early residents of the nation's oldest permanently occupied city. These parish documents date back to 1594, and they record the births, deaths, marriages and baptisms of the people who lived in St. Augustine from that time through the mid-1700s. J. Michael Francis, a history professor at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, and some of his graduate students in the Florida Studies department have spent the past several months digitizing the more than 6,000 fragile pages... Dick Eastman

The following announcement was written by Family Tree DNA, a division of Gene By Gene, Ltd.: HOUSTON, March 26, 2013 -- Gene By Gene, Ltd., the Houston-based genomics and genetics testing company, announced that a unique DNA sample submitted via National Geographic's Genographic Project to its genetic genealogy subsidiary, Family Tree DNA, led to the discovery that the most recent common ancestor for the Y chromosome lineage tree is potentially as old as 338,000 years. This new information indicates that the last common ancestor of all modern Y chromosomes is 70 percent older than previously thought. The surprising findings were... Dick Eastman

The following was written by Archives.com, a division of Ancestry.com: Archives.com is thrilled to announce the release of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) birth, marriage and death record collections! These three collections total nearly 4.6 million records. Archives.com, in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Archives, digitized and indexed approximately one thousand rolls of microfilmed records from churches now affiliated with the ELCA. These records have never before been online. The records in these collections date from the mid-1800s through 1940 and include births, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths, and burials. Details vary from church to church,... Dick Eastman

The following announcement was written by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht of Ireland: One search on www.irishgenealogy.ie will include census data, land records, military archives, wills and Ellis Island records Aim is to make it quicker, easier, and less complicated for members of public - from home or abroad - to find information about their ancestors Tuesday, March 26th - Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, will today launch a newly expanded web portal that is dedicated to helping people search for information on their ancestors. The portal - www.irishgenealogy.ie - enables visitors... Dick Eastman

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. I have written several times about my experience with a $19 a month cell phone service. The first article was written when I had used the new phone service for one week. I have since updated some of the technical details in later articles. I now have been using the new phone and the service for nearly three months. I thought I would post what is probably the last update, describing my experiences and focusing on all the drawbacks I found. The remainder of this article... Dick Eastman

NOTE: I took dozens of photos at this year's RootsTech Conference, so many that I cannot squeeze all of them into this article. I will show a few of them here, but my complete photo album may be seen at a dedicated address: http://blog.eogn.com/photos/rootstech13/. When you go to that address, you will see an online photo album with thumbnail-sized images. Click on any image or scroll through the album pages to see larger photos. There is only one word to describe this year's RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City: Whew! The RootsTech Conference is now the largest genealogy conference in... Dick Eastman

Handheld "wand" scanners are popular amongst genealogists. These things are great when visiting a library or archive as you can quickly and easily make a scanned image of documents or pages from a book. (Always ask permission first before scanning anything.) I have reviewed several handheld wand scanners in the past. See http://goo.gl/vU1pM for my past articles. Now M. David Stone has written a review in PCmag.com of the latest and greatest handheld wand scanner on the market today: the Pandigital Portable Wi-Fi Wand Scanner with Feeder Dock (S8X1103). Stone says great things about this scanner although he points out... Dick Eastman

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