Sat, 19 May 2012
Discover what Dr. Henry Louis Gates hope to convey in the final episode of his series Finding Your Roots. NEWS: I just returned from NGS and had a chance to visit with many listeners including: Lisa Lisson of the Are You My Cousin? blog www.areyoumycousin-Lisa.blogspot.com and Debra writes the Deb’s Research blog www.debsresearch.blogspot.com I also taught classes while there. My first class was on using the iPad for Genealogy, and while I think the students learned a lot, I know I certainly did. Folks were coming up to me throughout the conference sharing their favorite apps and tricks: . Great app for the Kids: Talking Tom Cat (Android) GEM: App Jumping If you have an iPad, you probably find yourself using a couple of different apps at a time. When you are in an app, just use four fingers and swipe side to side to jump from app to app that you currently have open. For this to work you need to make sure that you have “Multi-tasking Gestures” activated under the “General” tab in your Settings. GEM: Four Finger Swipe Now as you are doing the Four Finger Swipe you’ll probably notice that you have some apps open that you no longer need open, and if they are open they are taking up battery resources. It’s a good idea to close these down, which is more than just pressing the HOME button to get out of the app. Use four fingers and swipe from bottom to top and this will reveal a horizontal line of the apps you have open. Press and hold one of the apps to start them all shaking and a minus sign will appear on each. Press the minus sign on each app you are not currently using to close them. NGS 2013 The 2013 NGS Family History Conference, Building New Bridges, will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, from 8–11 May 2013. The conference hotel and venue will be the LVH−Las Vegas Hotel & Casino (formerly known as the Las Vegas Hilton). To ensure a reservation, you can reserve accommodations now and be sure to request the NGS conference rate when making a reservation. Call the Hilton for reservations at 1-800-635-7711 or go online at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/accommodations. NEWS: Ancestry publishes collection of WWII Cadet Nursing Corp Files New National Archives Video Gives an Inside Look at Civil War Widow’s Pension Digitization Project 1940 Census Update from FamilySearch
GEM: Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. What does it mean to be Latino? On May 19, 2012, the season finale of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the PBS TV series that explores race and identity through the genealogy of some of America’s best-known personalities, seeks to answer that question. Through the family histories of actors Michelle Rodriguez and Adrian Grenier, and Linda Chavez, an author, syndicated newspaper columnist and political analyst for FOX News, viewers will discover that Latino identity emerged from the tangled histories of European, Native-American and African peoples. The three subjects of Sunday’s episode all share Spanish colonial roots, yet each views their identity very differently: as Native American, Puerto Rican, Dominican or simply Latino. At the helm of this series is Henry Louis Gates Jr. He holds a Ph.D. in English Literature, and is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University, as well as the director of the W.E.B Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. He’s best known for PBS productions like African American Lives, Oprah’s Roots, and African American Lives 2. This week I was fortunate to grab some time with this very busy man to talk about the final episode of this newest series, Finding Your Roots.
I hope you will join me at the Southern California Genealogical Society Writer’s Workshop, and Jamboree June 7-10, 2012 in Burbank California. I’ll be there teaching several classes, some of which are brand new, and I would love to see you there. It’s not too late to register. Click here for all the details. Sign up for my free Genealogy Gems newsletter. If you do you’ll receive my free ebook 5 Fabulous Google Search Strategies for the Family Historian absolutely free, and that’s a sweet deal indeed! |
Fri, 4 May 2012
Decipher your ancestor’s head gear with Maureen Taylor (AKA The Photo Detective) with tips from her new book Bonnets and Hats. And then grab your spouse for a genealogical musical number. NEWS: Thanks for the Shout Outs: Branching Out Through the Years Going the Extra Yad by Emily Garber Cooke-ing at the Arizona Family History Expo, 20-21 Jan 2012 Size Doesn’t Matter at the Jen on Gen blog
FamilySearch Update The 1940 U.S. census indexing project was launched this April as part of a broad online community effort.
- Over 85,000 volunteers have already completed 20 percent of the census project. - A record number of active indexers used the program in a single day—34,947 volunteers. - In one day more than 3.2 million records were indexed and 1.5 million were arbitrated. Recently Completed Projects The Genealogy Gems News Blog Third most popular social networking Deleted Scenes from Rob Lowe’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? MAILBOX: Sterling is lucky to have old family photos but needs some help preserving them. He writes: “I've become a regular listener of your Genealogy Gems podcast and I find that I'm enjoying it as much as any of the NPR radio shows that are my listening mainstays. I've learned so much from listening to you over the past few months and I'm deeply grateful.
Family Tree Magazine article / answer Sally also writes: The scrapbook format is difficult to process because of the different elements from which it is made. The adhesive may be water soluble and simple to soak off. Try to isolate a leaf of the book with some plastic sheeting (i.e. place a piece of plastic under the leaf to avoid damaging the leaf below). Place a damp piece of blotting paper over one of the newspaper clippings under a light weight. Leave it for about twenty minutes then very carefully, using a spatula, lift the newspaper from the leaf. Place the newspaper clipping between two pieces of dry blotting paper to dry." Thanks to Sally Jacobs the Practical Archivist. You can get lots more greats preservation advice from her at www.practicalarchivist.com Swedish TV Series: Line in Denmark wrote in again to give us an update on a popular Swedish TV show about family history: “I have some exiting news about the Swedish tv show that I mentioned in my last email. "Everything for Sweden." On this link they are looking for new contestants for the second season! “I have taken up your advice on contacting long lost family members. I still don't have the courage to phone them, but instead contacting them on e-mail. So far it has been a big success. I would never have done it if I hadn't listened to your show. So thanks! Love your podcasts - please keep on making them!” Beverly Loves the Podcast: “I'm a relatively new listener and premium member. I was bitten by the genealogy bug when I was about 12 years old and now I'm a grandmother. I've been calling myself a reformed genealogist because the "bug" has been dormant for a while…Thank you for all you share with your listeners. You have a real gift for communicating in a clear and personable way. I look forward to all your gems I have yet to uncover.” Get your free audio book and over 40,000 audio book titles to choose from at Audible: http://www.audiblepodcast.com/gems
GEM: Interview with The Photo Detective Maureen Taylor, author of the book Bonnets and Hats $4.00 off discount coupon for Genealogy Gems Podcast listeners: FJH889FZ GEM: The Genealogy Widower You can download a free copy of Michael Stewart’s song the Genealogy Widower here. |








