Free access to Military Records This Weekend

This weekend, May 24- May 27, 2013, findmypast.com, in honor of Memorial Day and all veterans, will be offering free access to its collection of US and international military records. By registering for free on their site, you will be able to explore more than 30 million records, including those from both World Wars, Korean War, and Vietnam.





The company now known as "findmypast", originally began digitizing and publishing records from the UK over 10 years ago, including outbound passenger lists from the British Isles, during the years of 1890-1960. Later, they added records from Scotland, Australia, and Ireland. In 2012, they expanded into the US market, publishing the 1940 census, and gradually adding immigration, military and vital records related to the US.  Today, the company is continuing to expand with the addition of more records from all of these countries, as well as a library of searchable newspapers.

If you have not had any experience with findmypast.com, this is the perfect opportunity to become familiar with their website without having to pay any fees. The offer will continue from midnight Thursday, May 23, until midnight Monday, May 27.

After all, what else would you have scheduled over Memorial Day weekend on Cape Cod?

 

 

 



CCGS Annual Meeting and Luncheon

On Wednesday, June 19, 2013, the Cape Cod Genealogical Society will hold its Annual Luncheon and Meeting at the Old Yarmouth Inn in Yarmouth, Route 6A.  A cash bar and light refreshments will be open at 11:30AM on that day, with the Annual Meeting at noontime, followed by a full luncheon. The after-luncheon speaker will be Marian Pierre-Louis, a professional genealogist, telling about "Brick Wall Tips for Genealogists".

Genealogical books and items will be available for purchase or pickup at the meeting.   Cost will be $26 for the event, including tax and tip. The menu includes an appetizer of clam chowder, choice of three entrees, and a dessert. Entrée choices are: Chicken Francaise, Pork Loin, and Seafood Trio. Mailed invitations to this event with a return envelope should arrive in early May for all members, which you can use to register, indicate your choice of entrée, and send payment by check to CCGS for $26 to Bebe Brock (Crosby1635@gmail.com) at 445 Main Street, Centerville, 02632  by the deadline of Friday, June 7. Questions? -- contact David Martin at davidchina_2000@yahoo.com.

Early descendants of Daniel Cole of Eastham, Massachusetts : Featured library resource for May 2013

The second volume in Susan E. Roser's Friends of the Pilgrims series covers the first four generations of the Early descendants of Daniel Cole of Eastham, Massachusetts.  It was purchased from the author with funds given in honor of Roberta Bratti.  "Friends of the Pilgrims" were those who came after the Mayflower but were the colleagues of and intermarried with the Mayflower Pilgrims.

Roser has done an exhaustive job of research, including biographical information, and transcriptions of wills and of epitaphs.  Tentative information is bracketed, and sources are thoroughly documented.  Photos of many gravestones and signatures are included.  Daniel Cole had 12 children who all survived to adulthood, and all but one had children.  When he died at age 79 or 80 in 1694, two of his 225 great-grandchildren had already been born.  An active and respected member of the Eastham community, he served the town in several capacities, including selectman and constable.  Should he be one of your ancestors, you will find a wealth of information in this volume, now added to our Biography section.

Three Tools to Help Save Genealogists Money

Here are the last three tools suggested in the Mashable.com article by Jill Krasny. The suggestions come from Terry Koch-Bostic, a Mineola, N.Y.-based director of the National Genealogy Society, a non-profit education, training and records-preservation group.

3. Family Village

Launched two years ago, this Facebook game, modeled after Zynga’s Farmville, features a hiker scaling her family tree — it grows as she gathers more research. The point of the game is to teach players the basics of genealogical methodology. Over the course of the hike, players turn up vital records and track their findings on ancestry charts and family group sheets. They also dig through federal cenus records between 1790 and 1940 to fill in the missing gaps of their lineage. It’s fun and highly addictive for those just starting out on their genealogical adventures.

4. Various Grave Sites

A host of sites exists for the sole purpose of storing death certificates. Koch-Bostic recommends Billiongraves.com, Findagrave.com and Legacy.com, that latter of which excels at collecting obituaries. Obits are particularly helpful for finding relatives in certain areas and information about where they lived, where they worked and attended school.

5. Digitized Newspapers

“The most wonderful information comes out of newspapers,” says Koch-Bostic, so long as you have access to a computer at home. Start searching by state, then try the Library of Congress — its Chroncling America website offers a treasure trove of historical newspapers published from 1690 to the present. When plugging in search terms, be sure to search narrowly and widely, advises Koch-Bostic.

Two Tools for Genealogists that Won't Break the Bank

Continuing from the previous post about the cost of genealogical research, here are two tools suggested in the Mashable.com article by Jill Krasny. The suggestions come from Terry Koch-Bostic, a Mineola, N.Y.-based director of the National Genealogy Society, a non-profit education, training and records-preservation group.

1. FamilySearch.org

Historically known as the Genealogical Society of Utah, Family Search dates back to 1894, the year it was founded. In 2010, the company undertook the daunting task of converting millions of records (from over 100 countries) from microfiche to digital images. Now all those records are accessible on its site, which also helps users create digital scrapbooks of photos.

“If I’m going to direct someone who’s never done genealogy, I’m going to direct them to this site,” says Koch-Bostic. “In terms of the data and research they have, it’s spectacular.”

2. Treelines

Storyworth made headlines last month when it launched its tool to record family lore. But Treelines, still in beta, is just as intriguing and useful.

“The site allows you to build the tree as you go,” says Koch-Bostic. Add stories and images as time permits. The end result is a visual, photographic narrative that's part tree, part timeline and eye-catching graphic. Hover over a year, for example, and you'll get an in-depth milestone description along with a vintage photo. It's like peering into a digital shoebox.

You Might be Surprised at How Much Money Genealogists Spend

In an article on the Mashable.com website, Jill Krasny tells us amateur genealogists hoping to uncover a link to Abe Lincoln can easily turn to the web to dig in their ancestor's closet. But taking the commercial route doesn't come cheap.

People curious about family history spent a whopping $2.3 billion on genealogy products and services last year, according to a study by market research firm Global Industry Analysts. They took most of their work to sites like Ancestry.com, which charge between $22.95 and $34.59 per month for access to billions of pertinent records. One-on-one consultations set them back $2,000 to $5,000 per session, depending on the length and complexity of the project, a spokesperson told Mashable.

Despite those sites' popularity, “it’s perfectly possible to do everything without spending a dime,” says Terry Koch-Bostic, a Mineola, N.Y.-based director of the National Genealogy Society, a non-profit education, training and records-preservation group. 

In the next few days, we'll share with you the 5 tools Terry Koch-Bostic recommends for building a family tree without it costing you a fortune.

HBO's Family Tree First of Four Genealogy Series to Air in U.S.

Though there's been a bit of a vacuum in genealogical programming in the U.S. over the last year or so, that's happily about to change. First up is Christopher Guest and Jim Piddock's  mockumentary series, Family Tree (HBO, May 12th, 10:30 p.m.), starring Chris O'Dowd as Tom Chadwick. Having lost both his job and girlfriend, Chadwick seeks his roots as a way to find himself.

Fellow genealogists will recognize themselves in this trailer:  meandering cemeteries, meeting far-flung cousins, and fancying connections, physical and otherwise, to long gone forebears. Though I expect the mirror being thrust in our faces to provoke a fair number of "oh, man, I did that" winces, it's also something of a badge of honor to be the subject of a Guest mockumentary, so I'm bracing myself in anticipation. Slated to launch in both Canada and the U.S., this show will also run on BBC, though a date has not yet been announced.

After Family Tree has run its course, we'll need to be patient, but three other genealogy series are now under production. Two of them -- Who Do You Think You Are? (TLC) and Finding Your Roots(PBS) -- focus on celebrity roots and are returning after prolonged absences. Among those lined up for Who Do You Think You Are? are Kelly Clarkson, Chelsea Handler, and Christina Applegate. Dates are still pending, but later this year is likely for Who Do You Think You Are?, while we will have to wait until 2014 for Finding Your Roots.

Finally, the other new entry, Genealogy Roadshow, is an Irish import and currently casting to tape in Nashville, San Francisco, Detroit and Austin. With an emphasis on family history mysteries, historical events, and "average Joes," this series will also air on PBS and should go a long way toward satisfying those who claim that only the rich and famous get their roots done for free!

This article came from the Huffington Post.