I haven't discussed Footnote.com very much on this blog. I am not a subscriber, but I have wandered through the site several times, but not on a regular basis.
I was going to summarize what Footnote.com has on their site, but I think Dick Eastman has done this better than I could - in three recent blog posts.
You can read a summary about Footnote.com at http://www.footnote.com/about.php.
Footnote.com has an agreement with the National Archives to digitize and provide images of original documents in the Archives. The historical documents available at present are summarized at http://www.footnote.com/documents.php.
One of the unique features of Footnote.com is the "Story Pages" - where contributors can share ideas, web pages, personal documents, photographs, etc. with others. The Story Pages summary is at http://www.footnote.com/storypages/.
Footnote.com also has an official blog at http://blog.footnote.com/. There is also an Unofficial footnote blog at http://footnoteblog.blogspot.com/.
Dick Eastman's three blog posts titled "An In-Depth Look at Footnote.com" are at:
1) Part 1: The Original Documents
2) Part 2: Free Story Pages
3) Part 3: You Are In Control
Finally, Dick Eastman also provides a video interview of Beau Sharbrough, the Senior Director of Content Strategy and Acquisition at Footnote.com.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Fathers I Have Known
I have known four generations of fathers - the husbands of my daughters, myself and my brothers, my father and his brother, and my mother's father.
Being a father requires being --
* caring and protective - both a teddy bear and a grizzly bear
* nurturing and disciplining - children need both, and it needs to be consistent
* a role model - as a husband, as a worker, as a friend, as a citizen
I have written posts before about myself, my father, and my maternal grandfather. I will list them below:
1) Myself: I Learned from my Dad...
2) My Father: My Dad - Fred Seaver (1911-1983)
3) My Maternal Grandfather: A Wondrous Life
4) Pictures of My Father and his Boys
I did not know my paternal grandfather, Frederick W. Seaver (1876-1942), but I've heard a lot about him over the years from my father and his siblings. I wish I had known him. I would have loved to hear about his childhood, his education, his family life, his work, his baseball playing, his friends, his life interests.
I have written biographies of the fathers in each generation that are in my ancestry. That is one reason I am doing my family history research - to get to know my ancestors, to try to understand them, and to appreciate them - and to pass that knowledge on to my siblings, cousins and children.
But I do not "know" those older "fathers" in the intimate way - the daily contact, the sharing of life experiences, the attitudes and opinions - that I knew my father and my maternal grandfather.
What I do know is that each and every person in my ancestry is unique - there is no other exactly like them (with the possible exception of identical twins - of which I have none in the recent generations). Each was an imperfect person - as I am. Each had emotions, attitudes, views, tempers, etc. that their descendants may strive to follow or try to avoid in their own lives.
I appreciate and respect each of the fathers in my ancestry - for their caring and protection of their families, their commitment to their wives, the nurturing and disciplining of their children, for their hard work to support their families, for serving their country as a military man and as a citizen, and so much more.
Without the injection of the "spark of life" at certain points in time - in every generation from time immemorial - I would not be the exact genetic person that I am. My hands, my feet, my eyes, my ears, my voice, my hair (I know, what hair - thanks Charlie Auble!) and the rest of me would not be what it is.
So here's to all the Fathers in my life - past and present: Thank you for being who you are or were. May the memories of you be wonderful ones!
Being a father requires being --
* caring and protective - both a teddy bear and a grizzly bear
* nurturing and disciplining - children need both, and it needs to be consistent
* a role model - as a husband, as a worker, as a friend, as a citizen
I have written posts before about myself, my father, and my maternal grandfather. I will list them below:
1) Myself: I Learned from my Dad...
2) My Father: My Dad - Fred Seaver (1911-1983)
3) My Maternal Grandfather: A Wondrous Life
4) Pictures of My Father and his Boys
I did not know my paternal grandfather, Frederick W. Seaver (1876-1942), but I've heard a lot about him over the years from my father and his siblings. I wish I had known him. I would have loved to hear about his childhood, his education, his family life, his work, his baseball playing, his friends, his life interests.
I have written biographies of the fathers in each generation that are in my ancestry. That is one reason I am doing my family history research - to get to know my ancestors, to try to understand them, and to appreciate them - and to pass that knowledge on to my siblings, cousins and children.
But I do not "know" those older "fathers" in the intimate way - the daily contact, the sharing of life experiences, the attitudes and opinions - that I knew my father and my maternal grandfather.
What I do know is that each and every person in my ancestry is unique - there is no other exactly like them (with the possible exception of identical twins - of which I have none in the recent generations). Each was an imperfect person - as I am. Each had emotions, attitudes, views, tempers, etc. that their descendants may strive to follow or try to avoid in their own lives.
I appreciate and respect each of the fathers in my ancestry - for their caring and protection of their families, their commitment to their wives, the nurturing and disciplining of their children, for their hard work to support their families, for serving their country as a military man and as a citizen, and so much more.
Without the injection of the "spark of life" at certain points in time - in every generation from time immemorial - I would not be the exact genetic person that I am. My hands, my feet, my eyes, my ears, my voice, my hair (I know, what hair - thanks Charlie Auble!) and the rest of me would not be what it is.
So here's to all the Fathers in my life - past and present: Thank you for being who you are or were. May the memories of you be wonderful ones!
RootsTube videos
Some time ago, RootsTelevision asked people to send in short videos about their families, their ancestry, or other related family history topics. They called it WildRoots or something similar. There are about 15 of them now at the RootsTube channel site.
The most poignant short film I saw was about Zuza Dalova, an immigrant from Hungary. The video opens with her singing, then shows pictures of her as a child, through her migration to America to an American woman.
The funniest short film was "Our Summer Vacation" - about a trip to the FHL in Salt Lake City.
I thought that the most interesting one was "Beneath Los Angeles" - the graves of movie stars and folks with "interesting" last names.
I enjoyed my hour or so just watching these short films - most of them held my interest throughout, and many were very well done with music and video effects.
Why don't you take a free hour or two (yeah, right - we all have a free hour, don't we?) and watch the videos on RootsTelevision. They're a lot better than watching MTV or CNN, and not as stressful either!
The most poignant short film I saw was about Zuza Dalova, an immigrant from Hungary. The video opens with her singing, then shows pictures of her as a child, through her migration to America to an American woman.
The funniest short film was "Our Summer Vacation" - about a trip to the FHL in Salt Lake City.
I thought that the most interesting one was "Beneath Los Angeles" - the graves of movie stars and folks with "interesting" last names.
I enjoyed my hour or so just watching these short films - most of them held my interest throughout, and many were very well done with music and video effects.
Why don't you take a free hour or two (yeah, right - we all have a free hour, don't we?) and watch the videos on RootsTelevision. They're a lot better than watching MTV or CNN, and not as stressful either!
Friday, June 15, 2007
What to Keep, what to pitch?
We discussed this question a few months ago - concerning obtaining, sorting, keeping, or pitching memorabilia, photographs, ephemera, etc.
There is an excellent article in the Fort Wayne (IN) News-Sentinel newspaper on Friday 15 June by Cindy Larson - read it here. The article extensively quotes Curt Witcher of the Allen County Public Library genealogy collection.
Hat tip to Megan at for the link.
There is an excellent article in the Fort Wayne (IN) News-Sentinel newspaper on Friday 15 June by Cindy Larson - read it here. The article extensively quotes Curt Witcher of the Allen County Public Library genealogy collection.
Hat tip to Megan at for the link.
Genealogy Gems Podcast
While reviewing the podcasts at the Genealogy Guys, I noticed a link to another genealogy podcast collection - at http://genealogygemspodcast.com/
Lisa Louise Cooke is the voice on this podcast - and she has created 15 podcast episodes so far - each with several "gems" useful for genealogy and family history research. I've downloaded several of them and will listen to them soon.
How about you? Are you listening to genealogy podcasts regularly? If so, which ones?
Lisa Louise Cooke is the voice on this podcast - and she has created 15 podcast episodes so far - each with several "gems" useful for genealogy and family history research. I've downloaded several of them and will listen to them soon.
How about you? Are you listening to genealogy podcasts regularly? If so, which ones?
Pretty much a genealogy-free week!
This has been pretty much a week free of genealogy research, web browsing or genealogy blogging.
I was on jury duty from Tuesday through Friday. You can read about my experiences here.
During most weeks, I post on this blog 3 or 4 times a day, often without much planning. I'm browsing, I find something interesting or funny, and I post about it. Or I recount my genealogy research experiences and society events. Sometimes, I plan a blog post based on something a society member asked me.
This week, I've tried something different. I got home from court around 5 PM, and after dinner came to the computer, read the blogs, read the genealogy news, mailing lists, etc. and then prepared at least two posts for the next day. In the morning before I left, usually around 8 AM, I would then post these two items so there was fresh morning content for my faithful readers (all, what, 100 of you? I do appreciate you!). There were some evenings, like tonight, when I wrote another post if I found something of interest.
I wish I could say that I was going to the FHC tomorrow and read several microfilms and do hours of research. Actually, I'm going to go out to my men's group breakfast and come home and watch my Padres beat the Cubs on TV. Then I'm going to work on entering my Bresee church record data (captured at the FHC in recent weeks) into FamilyTreeMaker, and then work on my FamilyTreeMaker class presentations. Then we may go out looking for furniture and a big-screen TV.
It's almost Father's Day, and I always enjoy the cards and gifts my wife, daughters, and grandchildren give me. I hope there are handscrawled cards and neat pictures of the kids and heartfelt sentiments from the girls, and a nice dinner with my Angel Linda. I may treat myself to some books afterward!
That reminds me - I need to submit my blog post to the Carnival of Genealogy about fathers...that looks like another Saturday task.
I was on jury duty from Tuesday through Friday. You can read about my experiences here.
During most weeks, I post on this blog 3 or 4 times a day, often without much planning. I'm browsing, I find something interesting or funny, and I post about it. Or I recount my genealogy research experiences and society events. Sometimes, I plan a blog post based on something a society member asked me.
This week, I've tried something different. I got home from court around 5 PM, and after dinner came to the computer, read the blogs, read the genealogy news, mailing lists, etc. and then prepared at least two posts for the next day. In the morning before I left, usually around 8 AM, I would then post these two items so there was fresh morning content for my faithful readers (all, what, 100 of you? I do appreciate you!). There were some evenings, like tonight, when I wrote another post if I found something of interest.
I wish I could say that I was going to the FHC tomorrow and read several microfilms and do hours of research. Actually, I'm going to go out to my men's group breakfast and come home and watch my Padres beat the Cubs on TV. Then I'm going to work on entering my Bresee church record data (captured at the FHC in recent weeks) into FamilyTreeMaker, and then work on my FamilyTreeMaker class presentations. Then we may go out looking for furniture and a big-screen TV.
It's almost Father's Day, and I always enjoy the cards and gifts my wife, daughters, and grandchildren give me. I hope there are handscrawled cards and neat pictures of the kids and heartfelt sentiments from the girls, and a nice dinner with my Angel Linda. I may treat myself to some books afterward!
That reminds me - I need to submit my blog post to the Carnival of Genealogy about fathers...that looks like another Saturday task.
Who is Jim Killeen?
Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak reported on her weekend at SCGS here, and had a link to a movie trailer here about Jim Killeen.
Who is Jim Killeen, you ask? You'll have to go view the video to see for yourself. Now which Jim Killeen is it that is making the movie?
I find that I don't go visit the RootsTelevision videos and blogs often enough. There is always new material there and I fall behind on it. My reason for not going regularly is that I can't put the RootsTV blogs into Bloglines for some reason. I have put the four blogs in my Favorites in IE7 and click there.
Who is Jim Killeen, you ask? You'll have to go view the video to see for yourself. Now which Jim Killeen is it that is making the movie?
I find that I don't go visit the RootsTelevision videos and blogs often enough. There is always new material there and I fall behind on it. My reason for not going regularly is that I can't put the RootsTV blogs into Bloglines for some reason. I have put the four blogs in my Favorites in IE7 and click there.
Next CGSSD Meeting is 23 June
A note for my San Diego area readers - the next meeting of the Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego (CGSSD) is NEXT Saturday, 23 June, not this coming Saturday, 16 June (usually, the meeting is the third Saturday, but is the 23rd this year because graduations at UCSD are the 16th).
The next meeting will be held on 23 June 2007 from 9:00 am to noon. Here are the details:
9:00 - User groups for Family Tree Maker and Macintosh, and Special Topic Session: Computer Genealogy
10 to 10:15 - Break, refreshments.
10:30 - Announcements followed by Program.
----------------------------------------------
Trees Grow on the Web
by Gary B. Hoffman
Gary will demonstrate several new online tree-oriented services being introduced by heavyweights in the genealogy world: Ancestry.com, FamilySearch (LDS Church) and some well-funded Internet startups. He will examine the features of these services and why you might want to put your genealogy on a central web site (or not). Free wireless access is available during the meeting to those who bring their own wireless-capable computers.
Gary is a computer manager at UCSD and has been involved with computers and genealogy for over 20 years. He is a former president of CGSSD and is our current webmaster.
----------------------------------------
I'm looking forward to Gary's talk. I have posted quite a bit about these online family trees, as have many other bloggers.
The next meeting will be held on 23 June 2007 from 9:00 am to noon. Here are the details:
9:00 - User groups for Family Tree Maker and Macintosh, and Special Topic Session: Computer Genealogy
10 to 10:15 - Break, refreshments.
10:30 - Announcements followed by Program.
----------------------------------------------
Trees Grow on the Web
by Gary B. Hoffman
Gary will demonstrate several new online tree-oriented services being introduced by heavyweights in the genealogy world: Ancestry.com, FamilySearch (LDS Church) and some well-funded Internet startups. He will examine the features of these services and why you might want to put your genealogy on a central web site (or not). Free wireless access is available during the meeting to those who bring their own wireless-capable computers.
Gary is a computer manager at UCSD and has been involved with computers and genealogy for over 20 years. He is a former president of CGSSD and is our current webmaster.
----------------------------------------
I'm looking forward to Gary's talk. I have posted quite a bit about these online family trees, as have many other bloggers.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Translate your ancestor's name
Amanda Forson at the WorldVitalRecords blog has an interesting and useful post about translating a person's given name from one of 55 languages into English, or vice-versa. The main reason for doing this is to see how the name may have changed from the "old country" to the "new country."
The Behind the Name web site name translator is at http://www.behindthename.com/translate.php.
Try it - it's FREE - and it may be helpful.
The Behind the Name web site name translator is at http://www.behindthename.com/translate.php.
Try it - it's FREE - and it may be helpful.
Solve the puzzle - GenealogyPays!
I rarely get press releases from anybody - but I got this one from Dan Lynch about http://www.genealogypays.com/. The press release says:
=============================
New Genealogy Site Offers $30,000 Cash Prize
And Free Features for Genealogical Societies
Trumbull, CT – 14 June 2007 – Organizations serving a growing worldwide interest in genealogy and family history will get a unique boost in their sustained online marketing efforts today as Mattatuck Consulting launches www.GenealogyPays.com – a new service designed to connect family historians with products, services, events, and destinations relating directly to their ancestral pursuits.
The site is free to consumers and features a series of genealogy challenge puzzles, one of which carries a prize payout up to $30,000. This unique puzzle will award half the prize payout to one winning entrant, with an equal amount paid to a genealogical society selected by the winning entrant from among those organizations registered on the site. All genealogy and local history societies are eligible to register at no cost. Featured sponsors pay to participate in the challenge puzzle which officially begins on 01 July 2007.
“We’re excited to launch this innovative and fun site,” said Mattatuck co-founder, Dan Lynch. “During the last four years, we’ve helped increase online visibility for hundreds of products and services. GenealogyPays.com provides a sustained effort enabling even the smallest organization to bring cost-effective and qualified online visibility to their offering.”
A recognized expert in online marketing, Lynch is also a professional genealogist and has developed marketing and business development strategies for some of the most notable organizations in the genealogy market. London-based FindMyPast.com, a Mattatuck client since early 2006, is among a group who joined as sponsors during the pre-launch phase.
“We think this is a brilliant idea and were quick to join as sponsors,” noted Elaine Collins, commercial director for Title Research Group, Ltd., parent company of FindMyPast.com. “Dan has an extraordinary understanding of online marketing techniques, as well as the genealogy market in general and we’re confident this new service will help bring visibility to our offering during the upcoming year.”
Each year, organizations dedicate significant time, money, and personnel to participate in one or more genealogy trade shows – all in the hopes of meeting potential new customers. GenealogyPays.com provides this same opportunity in a virtual setting, but with the added benefits of a worldwide audience, round-the-clock availability, and cost effective participation. By building a bridge between consumers and the organizations hoping to serve them, GenealogyPays hopes to become a central meeting place for “all things genealogy”.
Although the official launch date is still two weeks away, the site is live and accepting free registrations both from users and the organizations they belong to. A free genealogy events calendar highlights a range of upcoming even – everything from seminars to cruises.
“All societies, clubs, family associations, and other groups are welcome to participate."
About Mattatuck Consulting
Established in 2002, Mattatuck is a technology marketing firm based in Trumbull CT. Serving a wide range of clients in both traditional and online marketing, Mattatuck has a specialty emphasis in the genealogy and family history marketplace. Co-founder Dan Lynch is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) with more than 25 years research experience and a popular author and presenter covering genealogy topics.
Contact:
Daniel M. Lynch
Mattatuck Consulting, LLC
(203) 459-4949 (Connecticut)
(801) 623-6955 (Utah)
dan@mattatuck.com or dan@genealogypays.com
=================================
This web site is interesting - there is a Rebus beneath the Grand Prize puzzle that can be solved by anyone - there is no entry fee. But the squares get uncovered only by companies or folks buying puzzle squares and thereby showing the puzzle. A sample Rebus is here. Solve the Grand Prize puzzle and win a prize for yourself and your favorite society.
UPDATED 6/14/07 7:40 PM. "Improved" the last paragraph after Dan's suggestion in comments.
=============================
New Genealogy Site Offers $30,000 Cash Prize
And Free Features for Genealogical Societies
Trumbull, CT – 14 June 2007 – Organizations serving a growing worldwide interest in genealogy and family history will get a unique boost in their sustained online marketing efforts today as Mattatuck Consulting launches www.GenealogyPays.com – a new service designed to connect family historians with products, services, events, and destinations relating directly to their ancestral pursuits.
The site is free to consumers and features a series of genealogy challenge puzzles, one of which carries a prize payout up to $30,000. This unique puzzle will award half the prize payout to one winning entrant, with an equal amount paid to a genealogical society selected by the winning entrant from among those organizations registered on the site. All genealogy and local history societies are eligible to register at no cost. Featured sponsors pay to participate in the challenge puzzle which officially begins on 01 July 2007.
“We’re excited to launch this innovative and fun site,” said Mattatuck co-founder, Dan Lynch. “During the last four years, we’ve helped increase online visibility for hundreds of products and services. GenealogyPays.com provides a sustained effort enabling even the smallest organization to bring cost-effective and qualified online visibility to their offering.”
A recognized expert in online marketing, Lynch is also a professional genealogist and has developed marketing and business development strategies for some of the most notable organizations in the genealogy market. London-based FindMyPast.com, a Mattatuck client since early 2006, is among a group who joined as sponsors during the pre-launch phase.
“We think this is a brilliant idea and were quick to join as sponsors,” noted Elaine Collins, commercial director for Title Research Group, Ltd., parent company of FindMyPast.com. “Dan has an extraordinary understanding of online marketing techniques, as well as the genealogy market in general and we’re confident this new service will help bring visibility to our offering during the upcoming year.”
Each year, organizations dedicate significant time, money, and personnel to participate in one or more genealogy trade shows – all in the hopes of meeting potential new customers. GenealogyPays.com provides this same opportunity in a virtual setting, but with the added benefits of a worldwide audience, round-the-clock availability, and cost effective participation. By building a bridge between consumers and the organizations hoping to serve them, GenealogyPays hopes to become a central meeting place for “all things genealogy”.
Although the official launch date is still two weeks away, the site is live and accepting free registrations both from users and the organizations they belong to. A free genealogy events calendar highlights a range of upcoming even – everything from seminars to cruises.
“All societies, clubs, family associations, and other groups are welcome to participate."
About Mattatuck Consulting
Established in 2002, Mattatuck is a technology marketing firm based in Trumbull CT. Serving a wide range of clients in both traditional and online marketing, Mattatuck has a specialty emphasis in the genealogy and family history marketplace. Co-founder Dan Lynch is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) with more than 25 years research experience and a popular author and presenter covering genealogy topics.
Contact:
Daniel M. Lynch
Mattatuck Consulting, LLC
(203) 459-4949 (Connecticut)
(801) 623-6955 (Utah)
dan@mattatuck.com or dan@genealogypays.com
=================================
This web site is interesting - there is a Rebus beneath the Grand Prize puzzle that can be solved by anyone - there is no entry fee. But the squares get uncovered only by companies or folks buying puzzle squares and thereby showing the puzzle. A sample Rebus is here. Solve the Grand Prize puzzle and win a prize for yourself and your favorite society.
UPDATED 6/14/07 7:40 PM. "Improved" the last paragraph after Dan's suggestion in comments.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)