< Go back to newsletter archive
|
| December 15, 2011 | ||
| www.honoringourancestors.com | ||
|
Greetings Fellow Family History Sleuths, Am I the only one who feels as if 2011 just started? Where did this year go? Well, 2012 is shaping up to be a great one with Who Do You Think You Are? starting again on NBC on February 3rd and Finding Our Roots on PBS on March 25th. Between the two of them, we're in for roughly 5 months of genealogy on TV! Now that's something to look forward to! Happy 2012, everyone!
Thanks for the kind words on 'WHO DO You Think You Are?'Wow! I hadn’t taken a look at the comments on Who Do You Think You Are?, my latest how-to genealogy book for quite a while, but I’m so glad I did! Here are just a few of the remarks folks made (BTW, not doctoring these and that includes leaving typos intact!). More info available on this book (and my forthcoming one, Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing) at www.honoringourancestors.com/books.html. “I have been doing genealogy for a long time, and have a sizable book collection. Megan, to me is one of the best Genealogist to come along. She seems to have the heart and soul of family history flowing through her viens. First of all, she gets it, one of the few who understands that the overwhelming majority of family researchers are not of the Mayflower gendre, and are not looking for Generals and Gentry. Also she realizes all immigrants did not own vast amounts of land, and her books are not dedicated to looking for wills and deeds. The Royals and the very rich did not emmigrate to North America. She is one of those professional who understands this intuitively. This book is the best, so much good information and so understandable. She actually explains DNA, both types for research on 2 pages. If you are interested in DNA this book sums it up in a very understandable form. Again I will say that she is the best that has come along to genealogy since I have been researching, and that says alot since I do not consider myself an amature. You will also love her book on serendipity. Therefore, stop looking for famous people and attaching your family to them, instead, start with yourself, and begin the fabulous journy called "Family". Most of all, be proud of who you are and who you find. Megan's books are the best for helping you achive your genealogical adventure.”—Lauren “As a newbie genealogist, I've learned a bit here and there about how to search for my ancestors. I wasn't sure how much I'd get out of this book, but I loved the television series, so I purchased it. I'm SO glad I did! It is written in a very straightforward manner, and I've picked up many tips that aren't listed in other online articles or help sites. Such as a way to look at the 1850 to 1860 census to find possible Civil War veterans - just one tip among many. I've got dozens of little flags and highlights that will help me to narrow down my searches. I would highly recommend this book to anyone starting the genealogy journey.” – A. Sprott “get this book to learn all about the different places to research and how to go about it. If you start off without this information and do the "hunt and peck" method it will take longer and you will just repeat searches you have already done. This book is your "map" to places you did not know existed.” – Parmalat “I will get right to the point: “I've been doing genealogy research for close to five years, and this book still helped me find more. It's entertaining to read and also informative. It covers so many areas and points you directly to where you need to go to find what you need, whether you consider yourself a seasoned researcher, a casual hobbyist, or just a beginner. Any other book I've tried to use for genealogical reference just sat around collecting dust, but this one has a permanent spot on my desk next to my computer.” – J. Jones The latest from FamilySearch.orgNew records were recently added to FamilySearch.org from Canada, Estonia, Jamaica, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, and the U.S. Begin searching for your ancestors now at FamilySearch.org. Genealogy Round Up, December 8"I confess that, as a professional historian, I did not always take her efforts seriously." Another genealogy skeptic converted! Bit of a pattern, eh? First, findagrave.com, now tendagrave.org. Both terrific ideas! Loved this! Who knew how important pandas are to genealogy? Genealogy Round Up, December 1Social Security Administration extends FOIA restriction to 100 years Touring the USS Monitor: George Frederickson of Denmark and Philadelphia How books work Here we go again: Mind = blown! FamilySearch has 1865-1906 Greek Catholic church records for Osturna, home to all Smolenyaks, online! This is the 2nd in a series I'm writing about some of the men who lost their lives when the USS Monitor went down on Dec 31, 1862. I wrote about William Bryan earlier and now, George Frederickson: World's Tallest Lego Christmas Tree in London - ReflectionOf.Me Social Security Administration extends FOIA restriction to 100 yearsUnfortunately, it’s now official. I have been ordering Social Security applications for several decades, and have found them especially valuable over the last decade for assisting with my Army cases. A few years ago, I noticed that they were starting to block out names of parents on the applications – which is very unfortunate since that’s the primary reason for ordering them. Still, the restriction seemed to pertain to applications for those born from 1940 or so on, and the explanation was that their parents could still be alive. So though I wasn’t keen on it, I could understand the logic. But recently – without any announcement – the Administration extended the restriction to 100 years – that is, 100 years from the birth of the applicant, so you can now only obtain this record in an unaltered state for those born prior to 1912. This letter is in response to one I wrote where I explained how it would negatively impact the ability to locate soldiers’ family members and that the parents whose privacy was suddenly being protected would have to be somewhere on the order of 120 to 150 years old, if alive. I can apparently receive the full application if I can prove that the parents are deceased, but 1) that’s a catch-22 since that’s exactly why I usually ordered the document in the first place, and 2) many of my cases are for foreign-born soldiers who immigrated to the U.S. so I would have to seek death certificates from places ranging from Finland to the Philippines. For similar reasons, this perplexingly long restriction will obviously also affect the 40% of Americans of Ellis Island heritage, which is also regrettable as this was the best tool for learning the names of the parents of immigrants so you could then extend your research overseas. I’m very disappointed in this decision and truly can’t grasp what has caused the Administration to put such a severe restriction in place – far in excess of that of most states that have limits on death certificate access – but I wanted to at least let the genealogical community know as it would be unfortunate for others to spend money needlessly. Because this policy was never announced, I have spent money on four requests ($27 or $29 each) for people born in the 19-teens, only to receive documents of no value to me. You might want to let your friends in the genealogical community know.
Genealogy Round Up, November 17So so sorry to hear. Thousands benefited from Bridgett's generosity and she only recently suspended RAOGK. RIP, Bridgette Schneider Who Do You Think You Are? back for season 3 in U.S. on Feb 3!! Another state opens records! Osturna! Home to all Smolenyaks! Church Birth Records of Slovakia "Finding Your Roots" series to launch on PBS March 25, 2012 1940 census online free on 4/2/12! Please spread the word! Honoring Our Ancestors GrantsCongrats to our recent grant recipients! Don't forget that you can apply here. November 2011 October 2011 Upcoming EventsIf you plan to be near any of the events where I'll be speaking, I would love to meet you. It's always a kick for me when folks mention that they read this newsletter, my blog, Huffington Post or whatever, so don't be shy about introducing yourself! For more information on these events, please see my Events Calendar. And if you're interested in scheduling me, just click here.
|
In this issue
Join Megan on:   
|
|
Forward It On!Please forward this newsletter to your family and friends who are interested in genealogy. |