Bring on the 1940 Census!

http://www.1940census.net/

2012 will bring us the 1940 census! Yahoo! I can't wait! While we all sit and twiddle our thumbs waiting for April 2, 2012, I thought that I would direct you to a couple of posts that are interesting and informative about what to expect with the 1940 census. The first one is by Randy Seaver, who posted a Q and A session about the 1940 census with Julie Hill of Archives.com. The second article is from FamilySearch. I saw this small post in the Daily Herald Newspaper, December 24, 2011.  It talks about the role of FamilySearch with the 1940 census. Also check out the 1940 Census website. We will be hearing lots about the 1940 census in upcoming months. A good number of us have relatives that were alive in the 1940's and they should be in this census. More family history information! More clues to work with! As I said before, Yahoo!

Happy Birthday Crystal!

Crystal Dawn Melick 1983-1987

Twenty-eight years ago today I became a mother! It was one of the most significant days of my life and I will never forget those incredible feelings of love that I felt for my new little one! I always knew families were important, but at that moment, nothing else in the world mattered. It was a good thing that I didn't know that only a short 3/12 yrs. later, Heavenly Father would call her home. Today, her memory is very much in my heart! I'm grateful for the very brief time that I had with her. I'm grateful for the journal that I kept of her life. I know that with that journal I can always turn back the hands of time, very briefly, in my mind. I'm grateful that the pain of losing her has dimmed and the memories of her life have grown. I'm grateful to know that I will see her again one day.

Merry Christmas!  May you enjoy the Christmas season with YOUR family!

December 2011

Who Am I?

As I work on my family history, I become more aware of certain traits or predispositions that I have! For instance, I have always loved rye bread, dill, beets and potatoes! For a long time I had no idea why I really gravitated toward these things. Is it the carb factor? Well, it could be! I prefer to say that these traits are a present from these people in my life:

Ray Brunski with Crystal
Photo Credit: Rayanne B. Melick

and the next generation back:

Anna and Peter Brunski, 50th Wedding Anniversary
Photo Credit: Rayanne B. Melick

and one more generation:

Frances and Joseph Statakaitis
Photo Credit: Rayanne B. Melick

and back:

Ray Brunski with Lithuanian ancestors
Photo Credit: Rayanne B. Melick

See where I am going with this? I am a product of my past! I figure that these are my Lithuanian genes speaking! Thanks Grandma Brunski for leaving some recipes for me! I realize that many cultures have recipes like these, but these are my link to my Grandma! These are also big in Russia and Poland from what I have discovered in research.

Potato Pancakes

6 medium potatoes

1 onion

Grate the above very small

Mix with:

2 T. flour

1T. salt

1/2 T. baking powder

3 eggs-beaten

Mix together and deep fry.

Beet Soup

2 fresh beets, boiled, skinned, and chopped

4 potatoes, chopped

1 big onion, chopped

Boil the above ingredients together

Add 1/2 c. vinegar and 1/2 c. sugar

Mix together

Top with a spoonful (or more) of sour cream

So the whole point of this post is this, you weren't created in a vacuum. You are a product of many influences.  What is memorable about your family? What traits did they pass to you? Embrace and Enjoy them!

Have You Visited a Family History Center Near You?

Have you ever visited a Family History Center that is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (sometimes referred to as "Mormons"? I'll bet that if you haven't, you don't know what you are missing! The Family History Centers can provide very valuable information to you. You don't have to be a member of the LDS church to go there either.

As you can see from this screenshot of the FHC desktop, there are three broad categories of help at a Family History Center. The first one is Genealogical Resources. There are premium programs that are offered at the FHC. These are subscription sites such as Ancestry.com, FindMyPast, Fold3, and others. These sites and others like them are available for you to use at no charge. The second category is Classes and Workshops. The FHC has access to over 300 classes and workshops that can be shown anytime. The third category is One-on-One Assistance. There are volunteers that are willing and able to help you with YOUR research. Imagine having someone to help you every step of the way. Pretty cool!
There are over 4000 Family History Centers in the world, including more than 80 in other countries. Want to find a center near you? Click here for help. If you are even the least bit curious about your family, come visit a Family History Center.

Legacy Family Tree Webinar Schedule

I personally love Legacy Family Tree's webinars! It is so easy to open up my iPad and listen while I am doing those mundane things that have to be done. If you have never listened to one of their webinars, now is the time to take action! You will be surprised at all of the different topics that they discuss. Below is their schedule through February 2012.

legacyfamilytree.com

Copyrights and Genealogy

GeneaBloggers

As I share more and more of the genealogy research that I am doing, I have become more aware of copyright laws and how they pertain to the various sources that I have found and shared. I am one of those people who loves to dig and find answers on the Internet. So naturally, it was time to start digging! I didn't have to dig very far either. One of my favorite podcasts to listen to is Geneabloggers Radio on Friday nights. It is hosted by Thomas MacEntee. I don't know how I missed the podcast on November 4, 2011 entitled Copyright and  Genealogy...Yours, Mine, and Ours. I listened to it yesterday and it was eye opening! Most of what I thought I knew I found wasn't necessarily true! So, here's a shout out to Thomas MacEntee for putting this podcast together. His guests were very informative! Give it a listen so that you can hear what Dick Eastman, Jonathan Bailey, and James Tanner have to say about the subject.

Happy Dance!

 THIS...

New York State Flag (50states.com)

NOT THIS!!!

Pennsylvania State Flag (50states.com)

Today I am doing a happy dance! Every once in a while I am rewarded for the hours of fruitless searching that I do looking for my family! Today is one of those days! I was searching to see what new records FamilySearch had posted lately for New York. I have a couple of great uncles that came through Ellis Island and decided to stay in New York instead of continuing to the coal mines in Pennsylvania. I noticed that there were some New York Marriage records that were new...at least new to me! I searched for the great uncles and didn't find a thing about them even though I know they stayed in the Brooklyn, New York area. So, I did what I always do when I'm fiddling around in databases that I've never searched. I put in the surnames of my four great-grandparents! I didn't get any great matches, but got the message that below are some possible connections. Two down was the marriage record for my great aunt! I have never been able to find any information on her! I was always told that she married but died in childbirth a couple of years later in Pennsylvania. Nope! She was married in New York! The marriage record gave a full name (didn't have), parent's full names (didn't have), and her birthday (only had a possible year), plus information on her husband! Happy day! It is times like these that make all of the dead ends worth every minute!

BYU Family History Classes for 11 December 2011

Friendly Little Reminder!

BYU Library

This is a little reminder to everyone that attends or wants to attend BYU Family History Library Sunday Classes. You need to register for the free classes so that adequate space can be allotted for each class. Please register by doing the following:

1. Send an email to byu.fhl.training@gmail.com
2. Include in the body of your email:
    Your name
    Date of Class
    Title of Class
    Instructor's Name

Hopefully you have discovered how informative these classes are. If you have, spread the word. If you haven't, set a goal to attend a class!

Genealogy on Pinterest!

It seems that the newest addiction in my neck of the woods is Pinterest, which in an online pin board where you can post seemingly almost anything. I have seen lots and lots of pictures of crafts, etc! Yesterday I decided that I would do a little more searching on Pinterest to see if I could find anything genealogy related. Lo and behold, genealogy is even on Pinterest! Just search "genealogy" from the search bar in the top left corner. You never know what will spark the hidden genealogist in you (or at least the crafting genealogist in you)!

pinterest.com

Ancestry News!

This press release is from Ancestry.com. It's good to see things happening with mobile apps. It definitely helps feed my tech addiction!


New ‘Ancestry.com Mobile’ iOS App Gives Users the Ability to Access Billions of Historical Records to Build Their Family Tree

PROVO, UTAH (November 29, 2011) – Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced the availability of a new, upgraded version of its Ancestry.com Mobile app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with features designed to enable more rewarding discoveries as users build, update and share their family trees. The Ancestry.com mobile app, which to-date has been downloaded more than 1.7 million times, is now available for free from the Apple App Store.

This upgrade adds three new features to Ancestry.com’s existing family history app:

Ø  “In-app purchasing,” which allows non-Ancestry.com subscribers to view, then buy fascinating historical records about their ancestors – such as World War I draft cards, Census records, birth/death certificates, and school yearbook photos, from among billions of historical documents in the Ancestry.com database

Ø  A “Shaky Leaf” hinting feature that employs predictive analytics to suggest possible new connections between a user’s family tree and undiscovered documents in the world’s largest family history database

Ø  A new merge feature, which automatically identifies and extracts information about family members from historical records so users can quickly and easily update their family tree

“Our goal with the new Ancestry.com mobile app is to enable more people to discover their family history through our billions of historic records, and allow them to share their findings easily with others,” said Eric Shoup, Senior Vice President of Product at Ancestry.com. “Our ‘Shaky Leaf’ hinting feature has resulted in tens of millions of successful family history discoveries online and it’s now accessible to our growing mobile user base.”

For users new to Ancestry.com, the latest iOS app provides an easy way to get started by giving access to relevant historical documents on the site without a subscription.  For existing Ancestry.com members, the new app gives them the ability to grow their tree using Ancestry.com records and share them with others while on-the-go. 

The Ancestry.com mobile app offers many of the most popular features available in the online version of Ancestry.com’s industry-leading family history website, including the ability to add and edit family information, view and share documents and photos, take and attach photos and create and navigate multi-generational family trees.

To get started, download the free Ancestry.com mobile app to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and either register for a new, or log in to an existing Ancestry.com account and choose a family tree. Ancestry.com subscribers can download family history records in the app free of charge. Non-subscribers pay a special introductory price starting at $0.99 for each record purchased through the Mobile app’s “in-app purchase” feature.

Fold3 Cyber Monday!

fold3 has joined Cyber Monday! Here's their deal! If you haven't looked at their databases, this just might be an incentive for you!

Fold3.com

End of RootsTech Early Bird Registration is Approaching!

Are you planning on attending the 2nd Annual RootsTech 2012 Conference? Would you like to save money? Don't forget about the early bird registration that ends on Nov. 30th. If you are a family history consultant with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints you will be able to register for one fee. If you are in the general public and would also like a price break, you can get one! For either option, go to RootsTech and register now!

Tech Tips...Again!

Credit: Microsoft

I love to read the Tech Tips on FamilySearch. I have to admit that I love the tech aspect of genealogy! I am not a computer guru, but I am willing to admit that I appreciate all of the new features  that computer programmers are adding to the genealogy software of today. One of my favorite contributors to Tech Tips is James Tanner. I find that his articles are very thoughtful and insightful without being demeaning to those who don't understand technology like he does. I guess I really appreciate his "normal speak" approach to explain complicated things! The latest article that I really enjoyed is talking about Google +. If you haven't even heard of that, now is the time to learn. Go visit James Tanner's article on Google +.  Also visit his website http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com. You'll be glad you did!

BYU From Wherever You Are?

BYU Family History Library is such a valuable resource to those who are local AND to those around the world. If you haven't taken the opportunity to see what they have to offer, now is the time. They offer short video presentations on many different subjects as well as helps to get you started AND keep you going! All of this is available 24/7 from the confines of wherever you have an Internet connection. Here is what the BYU FHL desktop looks like:

Notice the navigation list on the left hand side. All of those links provide valuable information about family history. The video tutorials are under the Education link. On the upper right hand corner is a box, "What do you want to do?" If you click that, this is what you see:

Look at all the links to help you out! More links are being added all the time as helpful websites are found. Take the time to really explore this site. I'm sure that you will find it useful like I have!

New CEO for FamilySearch

familysearch.org

This is a press release from FamilySearch!

FamilySearch Announces New CEO

November 15, 2011

SALT LAKE CITY—FamilySearch announced today a change in its chief executive officer. Effective January 2, 2012, Dennis C. Brimhall will succeed Jay L. Verkler as CEO of FamilySearch. Mr. Verkler will continue in a consulting capacity for a few months to ensure a smooth transition.

It is the business culture and practice of FamilySearch, as an organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to regularly rotate its senior leaders. This pattern assures the forward momentum of its core programs.
Over the past decade under Mr. Verkler’s leadership, FamilySearch has shifted its vast stores of genealogical records and resources to a digital, worldwide, internet-based focus. FamilySearch has developed partnerships with many genealogy and technology industry organizations, helping form a broad and deep industry community including companies, societies, and archives.

FamilySearch has helped make the world’s historic records easier to access online, publishing over 2.4 billion names in historic records at familysearch.org, including 870 collections from over 50 countries indexed by over 250,000 volunteers. During this period, FamilySearch has also created an unprecedented, free global service organization that engages over 70,000 volunteers who provide needed local and online support to research patrons and the genealogical community. FamilySearch has pioneered genealogical search, record linkage, imaging, crowd-sourcing, and digital preservation technologies.

“It has been a career highlight for me to work in such a significant and meaningful effort,” said Jay L. Verkler regarding his time at FamilySearch’s helm. “I have had the privilege to work with countless great individuals, organizations, and companies, all striving to provide the best of user experiences.”

Mr. Brimhall comes to FamilySearch with a deep background in management. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He recently served for 17 years as president and CEO of the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver from 1988 until 2005. Since then Mr. Brimhall has held positions of increasing responsibility in LDS Church administration.

“I am very excited to help lead the work of FamilySearch, to continue the great things that have been done and move forward in new directions as appropriate,” said Brimhall. “FamilySearch provides services to millions of people worldwide. We really need to understand our customers’ needs and satisfy them. Our focus will be to ensure that FamilySearch’s customer experiences are really first rate.”

FamilySearch looks forward to further strengthening its commitment to the global genealogical community, to publishing and digitizing the world’s records, and encouraging all people to discover, preserve, and share their family histories.
FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer–driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessor organizations have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

November Classes at Riverton FamilySearch Library

Time for the Saturday Seminar at the Riverton FamilySearch Library. It will be held next Saturday, November 19, 2011. See flyer below and pass the word!

Are Your Family Histories Snoozers?

Photo Credit: LDS Magazine

LDS Living Magazine is carrying a four part series entitled "How to Write a Family History Worth Reading!" That is definitely one of my goals! I have a few family histories that I love, but to most people they are snoozers! Why? Because they start with "Peter Peterson was born..." In this first part of the series, author Sunny Morton gives us a few pointers on how to start a family history worth reading! I found the article to be enlightening and I know that you will too! Give it a shot!

UVTAGG November Meeting (formerly UVPAF User's Group)

Our Next Meeting

12 Nov 2011from 9 AM to noon

Claire Brisson-Banks			Topic: The Perfect Social Media: Family History & Genealogy
We'll discuss WEB 2.0 Internet-based tools that assist with connecting and keeping in touch with family while locating new family information and staying up-to-date with genealogical technology and social media.

Photo Credit: UVTAGG

Did you know that the UVTAGG group can be useful to you even if you don't live in the area? The group has a fantastic group of links and class outlines that are online and that you are able to access. To access, go to UVTAGG and click on anything that appeals to you under the Menu list on the left side of the screen. Another new way to learn! I'm all for it!

BYU Family History Classes for 13 November 2011