 |
 |
Member Login | My Account | Guest Registry |
 |
 |
| Getting Started | Learning Center | Reference | Publications | Articles & Columns |
| Learn > Articles & Columns > Daily News > Current Article | |
Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
| IN THIS ISSUE: |
|
Third Anniversary of the Newsletter |
| January 18, 1999 |
- Third Anniversary of the Newsletter It seems hard to believe that this edition of the newsletter marks its third year of publication. It seems like only yesterday that I sent the following words out to about 100 people via e-mail: Well, it's started. This newsletter is something that I have been considering for a long time but I finally decided to "take the plunge." I've subscribed to several other electronic newsletters for some time now and have found them to be valuable. On many occasions I have said to myself "Someone ought to do a weekly newsletter for genealogy news." One day the light bulb went on and I decided that perhaps I was that someone. I hope to collect various bits of information that cross my desk and appear on my screen every week. Some of these items may be considered "news items" concerning events and happenings of interest to computer-owning genealogists. Some other items will be mini press releases about new genealogy software or other products and services that have just become available. I may write a few articles about things that are not genealogy-related but still seem to be of interest to me and probably to the readers. This may include articles about online systems, operating systems or other things that affect many of us. You will also find editorials and my personal opinions weaving in and out of this newsletter. Hopefully I will be able to clearly identify the information that is a personal opinion. I never expected the newsletter to evolve as it has. Three years after I wrote those words, the newsletter is sent by e-mail to over 22,000 people, and thousands more read it on Ancestry's website. Thanks to your interest and the support of the fine folks at Ancestry, I get to do one of the things I enjoy most: writing about genealogy and technology. I don't know what the years to come hold for me, but I certainly do hope that they are as gratifying and as much fun as the last three years. The annual GENTECH conference is fast approaching. It is being held January 22 and 23 in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is the event of the year dedicated to the use of technology for genealogy research. Typically, several new products and announcements are made at this event. I hope to write about some of these in the near future. If you planning to attend this year's conference, I suspect you will find it enlightening as well as a lot of fun. Full details of the convention can be found at: http://gentech.org - Carl Sandburg College's Online Genealogy Classes Carl Sandburg College has totally revised and upgraded its genealogical course offerings with new equipment and software. The college now offers the following features for students: Instant grading of quizzes with feedback Individualized discussion forums Private class chat rooms Improved navigational system Online viewing of quiz results Private class e-mail Individualized student home pages This is an excellent opportunity for beginning genealogists. With the help of web technology, learners can take this course from anywhere in the world without ever leaving their homes. The fee is a modest $35. The next course begins in early February. More information can be obtained at: http://www.asc.csc.cc.il.us/mneill/csc/index.html. My thanks to college staff member Michael John Neill for this information. - Denver Public Library Offers Digital Historic Photos The Denver Public Library has opened one of the nation's largest digital photo displays. With this announcement the library is offering Internet access to 50,000 photographs, some dating back to the 19th century, from its Western History/Genealogy department. The collection includes photos of the 10th Mountain Division ski troops, Native American pioneers, early railroads, mining, and other images. By the end of 2000, the library plans to expand this offering to 95,000 photos. All the pictures can be viewed online at no charge. Those who want high quality 8x10 reproductions of any photo can purchase them for $14. Besides increasing availability of these photos to a broader audience, the Internet access will also help preserve the original photos from the deterioration that comes from repeated handling. To have a look at the Denver Public Library's online collection, go to: http://gowest.coalliance.org or http://www.denver.lib.co.us A new website appeared recently that may interest many genealogists. Cemetery Junction Directory is a collection of cemetery listings submitted by volunteers, coordinated by Illya J. D'Addezio. The amount of information varies from state to state. The site includes a directory of over 10,000 active and retired cemeteries and has a series of articles and helpful hints for researching cemetery information. It also has a number of links to related sites. Cemetery Junction Directory can be found at: http://www.daddezio.com/cemetery/index.html - WW1 Gravesites Listed Online France recently inaugurated an online service to help Australians locate the gravesites of relatives who died on the Western Front in World War One. The new Australian War Graves Commission website provides burial details about France's Somme district, as well as visitor information on battlefields and memorials. Relatives and other researchers can use this site to inquire about the remains of soldiers who lost their lives in France in the war. To quote from the description on the website:The Somme is a river that gave its name to a "département" (France is made of 95 départements). The Somme département is situated in the North of France and is well known for its numerous historic places and is a symbol of the British Commonwealth troops committing during the First World War. This website has been conceived for helping overseas visitors to organize their travel to the Somme battlefields and memorials and to follow in the Australian and New Zealander fighters' footsteps. Their sacrifice memory is firmly rooted in everybody's mind, and we are very glad to help the "Aussies and Kiwis" to set up their visit and stay in the Somme département. The website includes text in both French and English. You can find it at: http://www.anzac.org - Rare Civil War Flag Recovered Last week authorities recovered a rare American flag. The treasure was one of a few flags that represented a black regiment during the Civil War. The flag represented the Union army's 12th Regiment Corps d'Afrique, one of the first units with black soldiers. General Nathaniel Banks formed the 12th Regiment of Corps d'Afrique in the Port Hudson, Louisiana, area in 1863. It was incorporated into the 50th regiment of the U.S. Colored Troops in 1864, when the USCT was formed. Charles Wilhite of Overland Park, Kan., was arrested after he tried to sell the flag to an undercover agent. Charged with interstate transportation of stolen property and theft of major artwork, Wilhite faces up to 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine if convicted. The flag had been missing from the Army's collection for at least 22 years. It had been stolen while in transit from Fort McNair, which is near Washington, D.C., to Fort Jackson, S.C. The flag is believed to be one of only five remaining flags that represent black regiments; at most about 17 such flags were made. Wilhite tried to sell the flag for $28,000. If in good condition, such a flag could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to reports, this flag shows signs of age, but its historical value is impossible to estimate. The following article was released this week by the National Park Service:On January 1st, a local newspaper ran an article describing the discovery of a trunk associated with a group of Forty–Niners which had been found in a remote area of the park by Jerry Freeman, a resident of Pearblossom, California. According to the article, Freeman found the trunk last November while scouting routes for a planned backpacking trip which would retrace routes which might have been taken through the area by Forty–Niners on their way to the California gold fields. Freeman first found a knife and ox shoe, which led him to a more thorough search of the area. He found the trunk wedged into a rock shelter, held in place with rocks and a piece of wood. During this and subsequent trips, Freeman and associates reportedly opened, photographed and inventoried the contents of the trunk, then put it back in its original location. Park chief of resource management Linda Greene contacted Freeman by phone on January 4th. Freeman told her that he'd in fact removed the trunk from the park and taken it to his home. He said he'd done this because he was afraid that pot hunter might find it and take it for economic gain, and because he was concerned about the Park Service's ability to preserve the artifacts. Greene convinced Freeman that it was in his best interest and the best interest of the artifacts for him to turn the trunk and all its contents over to park staff. Freeman and his brother brought the trunk to the park the next day and gave them to Blair Davenport, curator at Furnace Creek. The trunk has been inventoried and placed in storage. Its contents included lace textiles, ceramic and brass containers, a handmade basket, a sighting glass, a pair of children's shoes, a doll, jewelry, books, correspondence, pictures, a canteen, a flintlock pistol with a holster, powder horns, a property manifest, and coins from the late 1700s through 1849. Park staff are currently in the process of making a determination on the authenticity of the trunk and its contents and assessing the accuracy of the location where it was reportedly found. If the trunk and contents are authentic, they evidently belonged to William Robinson of Illinois, a Jayhawker who traveled through Death Valley. Robinson was with a group of Forty–Niners who were seeking a short cut from the Spanish Trail. They began their ill–fated journey on November 11, 1849 at Mount Misery, Utah, separating into groups and eventually arriving in Death Valley in December, 1849. They then continued west in separate groups and arrived in various parts of the Panamint Mountains by January, 1850. According to diaries, folklore, and other accounts, thirst, starvation, and the death of their livestock forced many to leave behind portions of their personal belongings in order to survive the remainder of the trip. The trunk with its contents appear to be associated with Robinson. The handwritten manifest with instructions is dated January 2, 1850. Historical records indicate that Robinson survived his trek out of Death Valley, but that he apparently died from drinking too much cold water when near exhaustion upon reaching Barrel Springs (near present–day Palmdale, California) on January 28, 1850. Removal of the trunk and its contents meet all legal thresholds and definitions found within the Archeological Resources Protection Act of 1979. A final decision on any potential charges against Freeman remains on hold pending the park's authenticity investigation of both the articles and the reported location of the find. My thanks to Homer Thiel for passing along this information. This week's newsletter almost didn't get sent, and it may not be sent next week at all. I ran into a problem during the ice storm that hit the Northeastern U.S. a couple days ago. I slipped on the ice, fell forward, and broke bones in both forearms. As a result, I am not able to type; in fact, I am dictating the last part of this newsletter as a friend types it. I am not sure when I will be able to write the next newsletter, but it will probably be within a few weeks. In addition, please be aware that I will not be able to reply to any messages until I get the casts off. I appreciate your patience in the meantime. And let's all hope for an early spring! Due to my injuries, I will not be listing new home pages this week. Look for a long listing as soon as I can type again. To submit your home page to this newsletter, enter the necessary information at: http://www.rootscomputing.com/register.htm. Due to the volume of new Web pages submitted, I am not able to list all of them in the newsletter. If you would like to submit news, information or press releases for possible inclusion in future newsletters, send them to roots@compuserve.com. The author does reserve the right to accept or reject any articles submitted.
DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is being written and sent via e-mail at no charge. I expect to write one new issue on a more or less weekly basis. However, life sometimes interferes, and the need to earn a living may create an occasional delay.
COPYRIGHTS: While the contents of this newsletter are copyright by Richard W. Eastman and by Ancestry Publishing and by others so designated, you are hereby granted rights, unless otherwise specified, to redistribute articles from this newsletter to other parties provided you do so strictly for noncommercial purposes. Please limit your redistribution to one or two articles per newsletter; do not redistribute the newsletter in its entirety. Also, please include the following words with any articles you redistribute:
Thank you for your cooperation.
Subscription information: To subscribe to this free newsletter, send an e-mail message to the following address: The message title is unimportant. The first line of text in the message must have the words SUBSCRIBE ROOTSCOMPUTING followed by your first and last names. For instance, if your name is Jane Doe, you would write a message of: subscribe rootscomputing Jane Doe That is the entire message; nothing else should be in the message text. To cancel an existing subscription, send an e-mail to: The message title is unimportant. The text of the message must be exactly: signoff rootscomputing Please note that the address of listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com is an "e-mail robot" and messages sent to that address are only read by a computer. If you send any more text in the message, it will be ignored. If you want to see the current issue as well as back issues of the newsletter, look on the World Wide Web at: Please feel free to copy this subscription information and pass it on to anyone else who you think might be interested in obtaining a free subscription.
|
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Statement |