Family Tree Magazine

Here is the description of a great magazine:

FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE, America’s #1 family history magazine, is the first mass-market, beginner-friendly genealogy magazine. It covers all areas of potential interest to family history enthusiasts, reaching beyond strict genealogy research to include historical travel, family reunions, scrapbooking, oral history, ethnic heritage, memoirs and other ways that families connect with their pasts. FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE strives to give readers all the resources they need to discover, preserve and celebrate their family histories — and to provide engaging, easy-to-understand insturction that empowers readers to take the next step in the quest for their pasts.

Click here to get to the Family Tree Quest Bookstore then click on “Genealogy Magazines” on the left.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I am happy to be an affiliate of amazon.com. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.”  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Challenge #39 – 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy

Here’s your weekly challenge:  Genealogy Writing Tips

View the entire description of this week’s challenge, by using my Examiner.com, Phoenix Genealogy Examiner link.  Click here.

Remember to choose only the challenges that suit you and fit into your schedule.
These challenges are meant to be a blessing, not a burden!

Amy Coffin of the We Tree blog has put together the helpful 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy series. These prompts are hosted on the GeneaBloggers website.   You may be interested in seeing posts about the challenge from other GeneaBloggers.  Both sites have been voted among Family Tree Magazine’s Top 40 Genealogy Websites this year.

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Note from Family Tree Gal, Carolyn:  Have you joined the Family Tree Quest at www.familytreequest.com ?  I also invite you to join me on Facebook and Twitter.  Check out my Family Tree Gal Blog if you haven’t done so already.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation from Amy Coffin or GeneaBloggers.com for writing this post. I am listed on the GeneaBloggers Blog Roll because I find it to be a valuable, shared community resource. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Ancestry.com to Acquire Footnote.com

A portion of the press release reads,

“Ancestry.com Inc. announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire iArchives, Inc. and its branded Web site, Footnote.com, a leading American History Web site, for approximately $27 million in a mix of Ancestry.com stock, cash and assumption of liabilities. This acquisition will provide the company with a complementary consumer brand, expanded content offerings, and enhanced digitization and image-viewing technologies.

iArchives digitizes and delivers high-quality images of American historical records of individuals involved in the Revolutionary War, Continental Congress, Civil War, and other U.S. historical events to Footnote.com subscribers interested in early American roots. iArchives has digitized more than 65 million original source documents to date through its proprietary digitization process for paper, microfilm and microfiche collections.”

To view the entire press release click here.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I am happy to be an affiliate of ancestry.com. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.”  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Worlds Largest Historical Map Collection

Here is the press release from FamilyLink:

PRLog (Press Release) – Sep 14, 2010 – PROVO, Utah– FamilyLink (www.familylink.com), the #1 family social network with more than 70 million users and 3.6 billion genealogy names, will soon provide access to the world’s leading historical map collection through its recent partnership with Historic Map Works. In addition to having the largest newspaper, tombstone, and one of the largest family history collections, FamilyLink will add more than 1.3 million maps and 1 million names to its growing collections.
   
“We own the world’s largest collection of historic cadastral, land ownership maps and we wanted to partner with Family Link, the undisputed leader in family social networking,” said Charles Carpenter, Sr., Owner, Historic Map Works. “The historic maps contain several hundred million family names attached to residences and businesses. Nearly every FamilyLink user will be able to find the homes and properties for many generations of their ancestor as the historic maps contain several hundred million family names attached to residences and businesses.”

The exclusive partnership with Historic Map Works will allow users to explore more than 2 million images that span several hundred years of American urban and rural development. Another feature of the collection is the ability for users to overlay old maps on top of current maps (or Google maps) to see exactly where their ancestors lived. Historic Map Works’ users have already found success with these maps.

One Historic Map Works user exclaimed, “I have been searching for twenty-five years for this photo and you had it! It’s a miracle!” Another user said, “In my 20 years of genealogical research, Historic Map Works has the best in geographical reproductions.”

FamilyLink users will be able to trace the histories of their homes, farms, suburbs, cities, and businesses using modern street addresses, GPS coordinates or town names. Much of the content is available exclusively in Historic Map Works proprietary geographic browser, Historic Earth®.

The family history collection at FamilyLink has recently grown from 1.3 billion names to 3.6 billion names with a goal to reach 5 billion by the end of the year.

“We are serious about providing users with the best experience they can possible have with finding their ancestors, which is why we have partnered with 45 content providers in 35 countries to deliver billions of names in more than 20,000 databases,” Allen said.

For more information about FamilyLink or to become a member and to access the 3.6 billion genealogy names, visit http://www.familylink.com/member_offer/.

Additional Resources:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/familylink
Facebook Fans Page: http://www.facebook.com/myrelatives?

FamilyLink helps people find and connect with their living relatives and discover their family history. Millions of people have built family trees on our Facebook application and on FamilyLink.com.

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Disclosure of Material Connection:  I have not received any compensation for writing this post from familylink.com.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Family History Expos

The California Family History Expo will take place on October 8-9, 2010 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds; 4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton, California 94566.  Registration is $65 online or $75 at the door.  Click here for details.

The Family History Library Research Retreat will take place on October 25-03, 2010 at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel at Temple Square – Conference Hotel; 122 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101.  Registration is $399.  Click here for details.

The Atlanta Family History Expo will take place on November 12-13, 2010 at the Gwinnett Center; 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, Georgia 30097.  Early bird registration is $55 through September 30th.  Click here for details.

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Disclosure of Material Connection:  I have not received any compensation for writing this post from familyhistoryexpos.com.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

BackUpMyTree–Free Family Tree Backup

Here is the news release from BackUpMyTree:

BusinessWire · Monday, Sept. 13, 2010

BackupMyTree (www.backupmytree.com), a new service offering free and automatic backup of family trees, launches today. BackupMyTree enables worry-free research for genealogists and family history enthusiasts, preventing loss of years of work due to a computer disaster such as a virus or hard disk crash. By automatically finding family tree files and creating a remote, off-site backup, BackupMyTree’s software ensures complete protection of family tree data.

The free backup service provides:

• Support for a wide array of family tree file formats created by popular family tree software packages – Family Tree Maker, Family Tree Builder, PAF, Legacy Family Tree, RootsMagic (version 4 or later), and Family Tree Legends. Industry standard GEDCOM files are supported too.
• Anywhere access of family tree files – users can access their family tree files securely from anywhere using a web browser.
• Monitoring of all family trees for changes and automatic backup of the updated files.
• Storage of previous versions of family tree files should anything become corrupted. This feature also protects against accidental deletion of information inside a family tree – enabling users to retrieve any previous version of their data.
• Instant retrieval in case of data loss – by simply re-downloading the latest family tree backups.
• Complete protection of all family tree files using strong SSL security during transfer from computers to the BackupMyTree servers.

BackupMyTree is the creation of Cliff Shaw, whose previous successes in genealogy include GenForum, Family Tree Legends and GenCircles.

“BackupMyTree represents my continued deep commitment to develop innovative new technologies and services for genealogists”, said BackupMyTree’s Founder and CEO, Cliff Shaw. “A family tree contains massive amounts of data collected over many years – often irreplaceable and simply priceless to its owner. Our free backup service gives genealogists peace of mind that all their family tree files are safe and secure. We’re delighted to be filling the gap in the genealogy market in helping preserve family history forever.”

About BackupMyTree LLC

Founded by serial genealogy entrepreneur Cliff Shaw, BackupMyTree LLC are the makers of the world’s first free and automatic backup service, www.backupmytree.com, for storing and protecting family trees. The service provides genealogists with peace of mind that their family tree data is protected from a computer disaster or accidental data deletion, and secured by a remote, off-site backup. Compatible with all themajor genealogy applications, www.backupmytree.com offers anywhere access and secure retrieval of current and previous versions of family trees. For further information visit www.backupmytree.com

Contacts

BackupMyTree
Cliff Shaw, 303-800-3096
Founder & CEO
press@backupmytree.com

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Disclosure of Material Connection:  I have not received any compensation for writing this post from backupmytree.com.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

FamilySearch Expands Online Learning Opportunities

FamilySearch made the following announcement on Sep. 9, 2010:

SALT LAKE CITY–As students all over the country head back to school, family historians also have the opportunity to learn—but they can do it from home at their convenience.

FamilySearch now offers 81 free lessons on FamilySearch.org, enabling people anywhere in the world to access family history expertise any time. The topics range from basic research to training on specific record types and can be beneficial to both beginners and experienced researchers. Most of the classes come from research consultants in the world-famous Family History Library in Salt Lake City, but FamilySearch is also now working with partners to broaden the pool of expertise.

For example, FamilySearch worked with the Mid-Continent Public Library in Independence, Missouri to record and post 12 classes. These classes are available on both FamilySearch.org and the Midwest Genealogy Center’s site. Such collaboration benefits everyone involved, according to Darin Hakes with FamilySearch Community Services.

“We see partnering as a mutually beneficial situation for FamilySearch, our partners, and the patrons,” Hakes said. “We realize that FamilySearch does not have expertise in every area, nor do we have the bandwidth to create all the training that is needed. However, there are many excellent individuals and organizations that have created training that can benefit the genealogical community. They may not have the resources to record and publish their classes, so working together is the perfect solution.”

Midwest Genealogy Center librarian Janice Schultz agrees that partnering with FamilySearch increases their reach.

“The online classes allow people to attend no matter where they live,” Schultz said. “It helps us achieve our mission of educating genealogists. We have received many positive comments about these classes.”

In addition to the Mid-Continent Public Library, FamilySearch is working with the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Board of Certified Genealogists, and the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists. Individual genealogists may also use FamilySearch’s free services to record and share their presentations. One result of an individual partnering with FamilySearch is a class called “Inferential Genealogy” by prominent researcher and teacher Tom Jones.

“Tom’s class is excellent, but may be too complex for some patrons,” Hakes said. “We tried to provide a different instructional approach, to make the presentation of the content more visual and provide opportunities for practice. We added value by presenting his content in a different way, taking something fairly complex and making it more easily digestible.”

Upcoming FamilySearch classes will focus on U.S. courthouse research and a series of courses for those just getting started in family history research. There are also more interactive classes planned on reading handwritten records in different languages, a list that now includes Dutch, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

All of the classes can be accessed on http://www.familysearch.org by clicking on Free Online Classes on the home page.

ABOUT FAMILYSEARCH INTERNATIONAL
FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 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 renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Disclosure of Material Connection:  I have not received any compensation for writing this post from familysearch.org.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy series, challenge #37: Roots Television

Here’s your weekly challenge:  Roots Television

View the entire description of this week’s challenge, by using my Examiner.com, Phoenix Genealogy Examiner link.  Click here.

Remember to choose only the challenges that suit you and fit into your schedule.  These challenges are meant to be a blessing, not a burden!

Amy Coffin of the We Tree blog has put together the helpful 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy series. These prompts are hosted on the GeneaBloggers website. You may be interested in seeing posts about the challenge from other GeneaBloggers.  Both sites have been voted among Family Tree Magazine’s Top 40 Genealogy Websites this year.

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Note from Family Tree Gal, Carolyn:  Have you joined the Family Tree Quest at www.familytreequest.com ?  I also invite you to join me on Facebook and Twitter.  Check out my Family Tree Gal Blog if you haven’t done so already.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation from Amy Coffin or GeneaBloggers.com for writing this post. I am listed on the GeneaBloggers Blog Roll because I find it to be a valuable, shared community resource. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Confucian Genealogy

Here is an announcement from the Library of Congress:

Confucian Genealogy To Be Presented to the Library of Congress at Sept. 11 Program Honoring the Chinese Philosopher

On Oct. 28, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 784, to honor the 2560th anniversary of the birth of Confucius and recognize his global contributions to philosophy and social and political thought.

In the spirit of the legislation, the Library of Congress Asian Division will present a program titled “Confucianism as the World Cultural Heritage” from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 in the Asian Reading Room, located in room 150 of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C.

The program, which is free and open to the public (no reservations required), is sponsored by the Asian Division in cooperation with the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans; the Confucius Memorial Ceremony Committee; and the Hai-Hua Community Center.

The program will feature lectures by prominent scholars, a Confucian memorial dance, calligraphy from the immortal teachings that appear in the “Analects of Confucius” and a display of books in all languages on Confucianism drawn from the Library’s collections.

The cornerstone of the event will be a ceremony marking a special donation to the Library of Congress of the Confucian genealogy. Ling-He Kung, a 76th-generation descendant of the revered Chinese philosopher, will donate an 80-volume set that documents Confucius’s family tree. Published by the Beijing-based Culture and Literature Publishing House, the volumes record 83 generations (more than 2 million people) descended from Confucius. It is believed to be the biggest family tree in the world.

Born in 551 B.C. in Qufu in eastern China’s Shandong Province, Confucius was a great teacher and thinker whose theories were the orthodox ideology in China for more than 2,000 years. His teachings, which advocate peace and social harmony, have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years.

The Library of Congress is the central repository for all types of Asian publications that are not broadly available at other locations in the United States. Initiated in 1869 with a gift of 10 works in 934 volumes offered to the United States by the Emperor of China, the Library’s Asian collection of more than 2 million items is the largest and most comprehensive outside of Asia. Visit the Asian Division at www.loc.gov/rr/asian/.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.

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Disclosure of Material Connection:  I have not received any compensation for writing this post from the Library of Congress.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Challenge #36 – 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy

Here’s your weekly challenge:   Family History Library Catalog

View the entire description of this week’s challenge, by using my Examiner.com, Phoenix Genealogy Examiner link.  Click here.

Remember to choose only the challenges that suit you and fit into your schedule.
These challenges are meant to be a blessing, not a burden!

Amy Coffin of the We Tree blog has put together the helpful 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy series. These prompts are hosted on the GeneaBloggers website. You may be interested in seeing posts about the challenge from other GeneaBloggers.  Both sites have been voted among Family Tree Magazine’s Top 40 Genealogy Websites this year.

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Note from Family Tree Gal, Carolyn:  Have you joined the Family Tree Quest at www.familytreequest.com ?  I also invite you to join me on Facebook and Twitter.  Check out my Family Tree Gal Blog if you haven’t done so already.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation from Amy Coffin or GeneaBloggers.com for writing this post. I am listed on the GeneaBloggers Blog Roll because I find it to be a valuable, shared community resource. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”