New and Updated

The following announcement was written by the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research;

The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research will take place virtually in 2024 from Sunday July 21st through Friday July 26th. With thirteen courses to choose from we are certain to have educational opportunities for everyone in genealogy.

Mark your calendars: registration will begin on March 9, 2024.

We are busy working on preparations for IGHR 2024, so expect to see more information on social media about the courses, including detailed schedules, as the year progresses.

We are proud of the terrific feedback from IGHR 2023 and expect to maintain the same high standard for IGHR 2024.

"This was one of the best courses I have taken! It was well-organized; instructors were enthusiastic and insightful; and the presentations were inspiring and chock-full of information, methodologies, and techniques. Thank you so much for your hard work!"

"I could take a month of this instruction! A tremendous amount of quality information, organized and presented in an outstanding fashion."

About IGHR:

The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), sponsored by the Georgia Genealogical Society (GGS), provides an educational forum for the discovery, critical evaluation, and use of genealogical sources and methodology through a week of intensive study led by premier genealogical educators who are leading researchers and scholars in the field. IGHR consists of thirteen courses that take place during the last full week of July. Students choose one course that lasts throughout the week. Course levels range from basic skills to advanced methodology and evidence analysis designed to solve complex research problems; course topics range from resources for specific geographic locations to in-depth skill development on specific subjects, such as land records, military records, and DNA analysis. Read more at ighr.gagensociety.org.

Follow IGHR: 

From an article by Emily Mullin published in the Wired web site:

Police are hosting events to collect DNA samples that can help solve missing persons cases. But when people put their DNA in a commercial database, it can used for other purposes.

Earlier this month,, state police in Connecticut held a “DNA drive” in an effort to help identify human remains found in the state. Family members of missing people were invited to submit DNA samples to a government repository used to solve these types of cases, a commercial genetic database, or both, if they chose to.

Public agencies in other states have held similar donation drives, billed as a way to solve missing persons cases and get answers for families. But the drives also raise concerns about how donors’ genetic information could be used. Privacy and civil liberties experts warn that commercial DNA databases are used for purposes beyond identifying missing people, and that family members may not realize the risks of contributing to them. In fact, one drive planned in Massachusetts this summer was postponed because of concerns raised by the American Civil Liberties Union.

So far, most of these drives have been small. A half-dozen families showed up at the Connecticut event on September 16, which was sponsored by the University of New Haven, the Connecticut State Police, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and another state agency. Close relatives of missing people—their parents, siblings, and children—were invited to provide a genetic sample to the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS. A national database maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it contains DNA profiles of convicted offenders, evidence from presumed perpetrators, and missing persons. CODIS allows investigators to compare a relative’s DNA profile to one in the database to look for a familial match, a process called genetic genealogy.

Free consumer genetic kits from FamilyTreeDNA were also distributed at the Connecticut event. Similar to its competitors 23andMe and AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA allows people to connect with long-lost relatives and explore their genealogy. It’s also used by police and nonprofit organizations to trace the family trees of missing people. That might yield connections to living relatives.

“This is a really powerful tool that can have a terrific impact and get closure for families and victims of homicides and sexual assaults,” says Claire Glynn, an associate professor of forensic science at the University of New Haven, who helped coordinate the event. She says genetic genealogy is useful in instances where a close family member hasn’t provided a sample to CODIS.

But genetic genealogy isn’t used by law enforcement only to identify missing persons and human remains. It is also widely used to identify suspects in investigations. Even if a suspect has not submitted their own genetic profile to a consumer site, investigators can infer biological relationships based on how much their DNA recovered at a crime scene matches that of other users. Police use that information, along with public records, to build out a suspect’s family tree and narrow down their identity.

You can read the full article at: https://www.wired.com/story/dna-drives-help-identify-missing-people-its-a-privacy-nightmare/. 

The following is a press release written by EBSCO:

Digital Archive Now Available for Jewish Political, Religious and Cultural Research

IPSWICH, Mass. — September 26th, 2023 — An extensive, searchable digital archive of the independent magazine Moment is now available through EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO). Moment Magazine Archive is a complete collection of the popular magazine in a comprehensive cover-to-cover format. The digital archive will enhance a library’s special collections and give researchers insight into the Jewish community during the 20th century. 

Moment is a Jewish magazine founded by Nobel Peace laureate Elie Wiesel and Jewish activist Leonard Fein, that explores the complexities of literary, political and cultural religious nuances of the Jewish world. Moment Magazine Archive’s coverage spans from May 1975 to December 2010 and provides in-depth analysis and unique perspectives, insightful articles and criticism on art, literature, world affairs and society, written by leaders and thinkers of the Jewish world and beyond. 

Moment Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Nadine Epstein says being a part of EBSCO’s magazine archive collection is a natural fit for Moment Magazine. “With more than 70 years of supporting libraries worldwide, EBSCO is the most reliable choice for a partnership to help us increase exposure and expand the audience for Moment. As part of the EBSCO Magazine Archives collection, Moment will be searched alongside other EBSCO resources being accessed by scholars and researchers of Jewish history, cultural studies and related fields. We look forward to continued growth from this unique partnership.”

In the digital archive, each issue of Moment is presented in its entirety as originally published. All articles and cover pages have been indexed with subject terms to allow users to quickly find relevant results and easily search using EBSCOhost® and EBSCO Discovery Service™. Like all of EBSCO’s magazine archives, Moment Magazine Archive is available as a one-time purchase.

EBSCO continues to grow its digital magazine archive collection with the addition of Moment Magazine Archive. Other magazines available include Architectural Digest, The Atlantic, Bloomberg Businessweek, Ebony, Esquire, Forbes, Fortune, Life, Maclean’s, People, Sports Illustrated, TIME, Vanity Fair Magazine and U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit https://www.ebsco.com/products/magazine-archives.

About EBSCO Information Services 

 EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is a leading provider of online research content and search technologies serving academic, school and public libraries; healthcare and medical institutions; corporations; and government agencies around the world. From research, acquisition management, subscription services and discovery to clinical decision support and patient care, learning, and research and  development, EBSCO provides institutions with access to content and resources to serve the information and workflow needs of their users and organizations. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. 

The three major credit bureaus have now made weekly credit report access permanent.

Monitoring your credit history regularly reduces the likelihood that reporting errors (best case) or identity theft (worst case) will derail your financial health—and you can now do this at no cost every single week, indefinitely, through Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, each credit bureau offered one free credit report per year, meaning consumers generally could obtain three reports annually before having to pay as much as $14 per request. Those same reports were made available weekly at no additional charge in early 2020, a program that was extended several times, ultimately through December 2023.

Now, free access to weekly credit reports has been made permanent so it’s easier to monitor your report regularly. While you probably don’t need to request multiple reports every week, you should be reviewing your credit monthly (quarterly at a minimum) or whenever you’re applying for financing. 

How to get your free weekly credit report

Free credit reports are available at AnnualCreditReport.com via an online form. You’ll need to provide some basic information, such as your name, Social Security number, birth date, and address(es), as well as select the bureau you wish to get your report from and answer a handful of security verification questions. 

Alternatively, you can submit a downloadable form by mail or call 1-877-322-8228 to verify your request by phone. 

Note that your credit report does not include your credit score. Many credit card companies provide customers with credit scores at no charge, though keep in mind that there are different scoring models used by lenders.

You can read more in an article by Emily Long published in the LifeHacker web site at: https://lifehacker.com/you-can-now-get-your-free-credit-report-every-week-for-1850865987 

The following is an announcement written by the organizers of The Family History Show:

The Family History Show events in England and Online were a huge success this year with bigger crowds and lots of compliments from happy attendees. 

“What an amazing day, not just for me but also all the hundreds of visitors who enjoyed and learnt so much from a series of talks all day and the great variety of helpful stalls. Many thanks to the organisers, the stallholders and of course all you lovely visitors - thank you for buying a few maps too!!” – Joss from This Way Books

We are therefore delighted to announce that in 2024 we will be adding a new event in the Midlands alongside our ever popular York, London and Online shows.

The Family History Show, Midlands will be debuting at the Severn Hall, Three Counties Showground, Worcestershire on Saturday 16th March 2024. We look forward to welcoming everyone to this fantastic centrally placed exhibition hall with plenty of free parking.

“We’ve been very busy, we’ve had lots of questions to answer and sold lots of our publications – so a very good day!” – West Surrey Family History Society

Dates for your 2024 diary!

Come and be part of a fantastic day dedicated to exploring your genealogy. We look forward to seeing you at our 2024 shows:

• Online – Saturday 10th February 2024

• Midlands – Saturday 16th March 2024 at Three Counties Showground

• York – Saturday 22nd June 2024 at York Racecourse

• London – Saturday 5th October 2024 at Kempton Park Racecourse

Be inspired by our captivating free talks, interact with experts who can help you find answers to your questions, and explore a diverse range of exhibitors, family history societies and genealogy companies from all over the country in the exhibition hall. 

These events are an absolute must for all family history enthusiasts. Come along and discover fascinating insights into your heritage or your past family. Join us and experience a great day out with lots of friendly exhibitors, complimentary talks, convenient parking at our physical shows, regular trains to York, Kempton and Great Malvern, and refreshments available all day at York, London and the Midlands show. Even if you can’t make it to our physical shows then our Online event is a must. Secure your tickets now to take advantage of our amazing advanced offers.

Make a Day of it

Book an expert session and watch a talk in the morning, then have lunch in our restaurant before finishing the day with a bit of retail therapy, chat with societies and catch another talk before you go.

The Family History Show – features:

• Free Talks held throughout the day

• Ask the Experts - Book a free personal 1-2-1 session with an expert

• Free Goody Bag on entry worth over £10. 

• Free Parking

• All Day Refreshments

• Wheelchair Friendly Venue

Early-bird Ticket Offer

Get your tickets now and save, Two tickets for £12 (£12 each on the day) and you’ll also get a goody bag on entry worth over £8. 

Early-bird Ticket Offer Get special offers for the next show here:https://thefamilyhistoryshow.com/tickets/

Ask the experts free One to One advice sessions

Find Out More at: https://thefamilyhistoryshow.com/

An article by Christina Hager published in the WBZ web site caught my eye this morning. I suspect it will also catch the eyes of many (human) genealogists:

"What's in a breed? Turns out pet owners are willing to shell out a lot to find out. Market research shows pet DNA testing is a more than $345 million industry on track to jump 85% by 2030.

"Michelle Leininger of Salem, NH, got a test kit that retails for about $80 after she adopted Jasmine, a rescue dog that looks like a German Shepherd. "Shepherds have a history of hip issues, so we wanted the DNA testing to know what her history was," said Leininger.

"The test came back with results showing not only German Shepherd, but also listed 14 other breeds. "How is she part...Chihuahua? You know, it just didn't make any sense," said Leininger.

"So, the WBZ-TV I-Team came with more tests from different companies to compare. All came back with some German Shepherd, but the percentages ranged from 65% to just 29%. Aside from that, the three companies showed a puzzling hodgepodge of other breeds. One included Great Pyrenees, another came back with Siberian Husky, another listed Korean Jindo, and the list goes on.

"Here's the biggest surprise: Leininger also collected a sample from her own human cheeks. When the I-Team sent it in, the results listed her as 28% Bulldog, 40% Border Collie, and 32% Cane Corso. 'Some people might agree,' she joked, but added that she wouldn't bother ever testing one of her pets again. 'I wouldn't waste the money,' she said."

You can read more in the article at: https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/i-team-accurate-pet-dog-dna-testing-human/.

Here is a list of all of this week's articles, all of them available here at https://eogn.com:                                 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. and the Oklahoma Historical Society have come to an agreement permitting OHS to place tens of thousands of editions of The Edmond Sun archives on its Gateway to Oklahoma History website.

The Edmond Sun was the oldest publishing paper in Oklahoma at the time it closed in May 2020 and its website was taken down. The newspaper’s first issue published in July 1889, 18 years before Oklahoma statehood.

“I am very happy that the Oklahoma Historical Society and CNHI were able to come to an agreement regarding the placement of The Edmond Sun archives on the Gateway to Oklahoma History website,” said Trait Thompson, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society. “CNHI recognized the value of The Edmond Sun to the historical record of Oklahoma and negotiated with the OHS in good faith.”

Prior to the agreement, OHS was only permitted to digitize issues of The Edmond Sun that published before 1964 under federal copyright law. But with approval from CNHI, all issues of The Edmond Sun can now be placed on the website for public access.

You can read more in an article by Joe Tomlinson published in the NonDoc web site at: https://tinyurl.com/3xfdsn53.

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. 

This is Part #1 of a 2-part series.

We often take email for granted these days. For many people, it is a process of writing a quick note, reading a return note, clicking DELETE, and then moving on. However, is deleting a good idea? I can think of at least two reasons why we might want to archive all our email messages, both sent and received. One reason is genealogy-related, the other is not.

Did you inherit family heirlooms of love letters great-grandfather sent to great-grandmother during the war? Or perhaps other letters written for other purposes? While love letters are always great for sentimental reasons, other letters, even business correspondence, can offer great insights into the lives of our ancestors. Will your descendants have similar feelings about the correspondence that you write?

Of course, nowadays the art of writing letters on paper, sealing them into an envelope, and mailing them is quickly becoming lost. Future genealogists probably will not have letters available from the early twenty-first century in the same manner that we save letters from earlier times. Today, email is the preferred method of correspondence. Are you going to deny your descendants access to your correspondence?

Another reason for saving email messages is for you to retrieve such messages in the future. I have saved all my email messages for years and frequently refer to past messages. What was Aunt Mildred's telephone number? How about remembering a relative's birthday? Then again, how about that message that a distant cousin sent about his or her findings in the family tree? If you keep an archive of all your past messages, finding that information again is trivial.

Luckily, archiving all your messages is easy to do. You probably don't even need to change your email address or the service you presently use. 

NOTE: I save all "meaningful" messages. I don't save spam mail, and I delete the quick replies, such as, "Got it. Thanks for the info." I also delete the email messages from companies that say, “We are having a sale this weekend.” I consider those to be semi-spam and not worth saving.

However, any longer messages in the past few years that contained any meaningful information are now saved on my hard drive with backup copies saved in “the cloud” for safety. Even better, I can find any words or phrases inside any past email message within seconds.

I will separate the remainder of this article into two sections: (1.) short-term archiving and (2.) long-term archiving. In this case, "short-term archiving" means "for a few years." I want to save all my meaningful email messages for a few years in such a manner that I can refer back to information conveniently at any time. I typically care about information sent within the past five years or so. 

"Long term archiving" is more for the purpose of preserving information for future generations. In this case, I am thinking about practical methods of saving email messages for ten years or perhaps even 100 years or longer. I also need to make those messages available to others in a format that can be accessed for many years into the future.

Let's look at "short-term archiving" first.

The remainder of this article is reserved for Plus Edition subscribers only. If you have a Plus Edition subscription, you may read the full article at: https://eogn.com/(*)-Plus-Edition-News-Articles/13258099.