Archive for December, 2011

Surname Forum Activity
———————-

I can add to the above that I have a copy of a marriage certificate for a Mary Collins to (Squire) Henderson Collins which seems to be my great-grandmother’s first marriage? But still the confusion regarding Manley? Hope someone can help me sort this out! Thanks!
Go to Source

Surname Forum Activity
———————-

Looking for information re: Mary Manley, b. April 12, 1855 in Nashville, Davidson Co., TN. Married first to (Squire) Henderson Collins. Some gedcoms show “Collins” as her maiden name, and show parents as Elisha C. Collins, b. 1830 TN and Esther Archer b. 1825 in Wilson Co., TN. However, I wonder if this is in error and that Manley was really her maiden name? Looking for her parents and siblings if that is true, and for confirmation if Collins really was her maiden name, with Manley possibly being her middle name. This is confusing, but Mary Manley Collins eventually married to my great-grandfather John Eades/Eads in 1888, in Wayne Co., MO. Have done lots of research of my Eades/Eads ancestry and now trying to document more of the Manley and Collins lines. Mary died in 1938 in Greybull, Natrona Co., WY where she went to live in her later years with (or near) one of her children. I know most about her Eads descendants, but also some on her Collins children. I do also have a picture of her tombstone and would be happy to share what I have. Would love to meet up with someone researching the Manley/Collins/Eads folks.
Go to Source

News from around the web.
Go to Source
—

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to view and merge Ancestry.com’s “shaky leaf” record hints into your family tree directly on your iPhone, iPad or iPod?  We thought so, too.

Today, we announced the availability of an enhanced version 3 of our iPhone, iPad and iPod app, Ancestry, that now offers several new features:

• Ability to access Ancestry.com’s “shaky leaf” hints for new discoveries of historical records about your ancestors directly in the app
• Merge functionality that identifies and extracts information about family members from historical records to help you grow your tree
• In-app purchasing, allowing non-subscribers to access record hints without a subscription
• Improved ability to add information to photos
• Ability to easily change your family tree privacy settings
• A more stable app with better performance

Don’t have an Apple iOS device?  Don’t worry, our Android app is in beta testing and will be available in late December for download.

For more information, or to download the app, visit http://www.ancestry.com/iphone

News from around the web.
Go to Source
—

Just a quick note to send
you over to FamilyTreeUniversity.com to meet our new Family Tree Firsts blogger,
Shannon Bennett of Locust Grove, Va.

She’ll be doing family research with help from Family Tree University courses and
sharing what she learns on the Family
Tree Firsts blog.

And stop by to say hi to our previous Family Tree Firsts blogger, Nancy Shively, at
her Gathering Stories blog.

News from around the web.
Go to Source
—

Starting today, we’re featuring 12 Days of Savings in ShopFamilyTree.com. Today’s
deal: Sign up for a Family
Tree Magazine VIP membership (or upgrade your current magazine subscription to
VIP) and enter code VIPFREE to get our 2012 Genealogy Desk Calendar free.

Your VIP membership includes

• a Family Tree Magazine subscription
• a one-year subscription to Family Tree Plus (that’s our online archive of genealogy
  how-to articles from past issues of Family Tree Magazine)
• 10 percent off all your ShopFamilyTree.com orders
• 25 percent off Family Tree University courses
• our exclusive Family Tree Toolkit

Get
today’s deal on VIP membership here.

Visit ShopFamilyTree.com every day through Dec. 12 to see the daily deals.

Remember, you get free shipping on orders over $25, and of course there’s no shipping
on digital products. (This
post gives our holiday shipping order deadlines if you need them.)

News from around the web.
Go to Source
—

• Ancestry.com has
  upgraded its mobile app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. New features include
  99-cent in-app purchasing of individual records for non-Ancestry.com subscribers (such
  as World War I draft cards, census records, birth and death certificates, and school
  yearbook photos), the “shaky leaf” hints indicating a possible record match to somone
  in a user’s family tree, and easier updating of family trees with information from
  historical records.
  

The app, which boasts more than 1.7 million downloads to date, is free from the Apple
App Store.

• FamilySearch.org has added more than 18 million records from Canada, Czech
  Republic, Germany, Haiti, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Spain, the United
  States and Venezuela. US records include a Texas death index (provided by Ancestry.com);
  naturalization index cards from Louisiana, Texas and Wisconsin; county records from
  several states and more.

You
can view all the new and updated collections and click to each one here.

• SavingOurs.com is a
  new volunteer group dedicated to saving historical newspapers and other documents.
  The organization will work with local volunteers, companies and governments to digitize
  these documents and ensure they’re available free to the public. Visit SavingOurs.com
  to learn more or volunteer.

• Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has started
  a blog as a four-month-long pilot project. It’ll offer tips and tools on LAC’s
  records and navigating its website. Posts so far cover war diaries, Royal Canadian
  Navy ledger sheets, the newly digitized Lord Elgin collection and more. Visit
  the LAC Blog here.

News from around the web.
Go to Source
—

Ancestry.com is making its WWII
records collection free through Dec. 7 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of
the attack on Pearl Harbor. The collection includes WWII draft registration cards
(including some
newly added ones), WWII Navy muster rolls (1939-1949), records of Japanese-Americans
relocated during the war, US Navy cruise books and more.

Go here to search Ancestry.com’s
WWII records. When you go to view a match, you’ll be prompted to set up a free
registration with the site (or log in if you already have one).

2,459 Americans died when Japanese warplanes bombed Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941.

See
the About.com Genealogy blog for more on records Ancestry.com added to its WWII collection
for this promotion. Thanks to Kimberly for the heads-up on this news!

News from around the web.
Go to Source
—

Starting today, we’re bringing back four of this year’s best-selling Ultimate Collections
in limited quantities. If you missed these the first time around, now’s your chance
to grab them:

• Ultimate
  Photo Preservation Collection (25 available): Tools to help you ensure your
  family’s memories will be around for future generations to enjoy, including the Preserving
  Your Family Photographs book signed by author Maureen A. Taylor aka the Photo
  Detective. (This collection sold out in just a few hours the first time around.) 

• Ultimate
  Google for Genealogists Collection (20 available): Master Google tools and
  techniques for tracing your family history with resources by Google guru Lisa
  Louise Cooke. They include a signed copy of Lisa’s book The Genealogist’s Google
  Toolbox.

• Ultimate
  Research Trip Collection (25 avaiable): Get the essential advice and supplies
  you need for visiting archives and courthouses, tromping through ancestral cemeteries
  and traveling to key research destinations across the country.

• Ultimate
  Research Solutions Collection (75 available) In this collection, find Family
  Tree Magazine experts’ advice and ideas for conquering your genealogy brick walls.

All these kits are deeply discounted, too. Click on each collection name above for
more details about what’s in each one.

News from around the web.
Go to Source
—

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
is joining Historypin, a
site that lets users virtually “pin” historical photographs, videos and audio recordings
to Google maps.

Users can enhance their pins with descriptions and stories, and compile them into
collections and tours centered around a place, time or storyline.

Visit
the National Archives on Historypin here. I scrolled down and clicked an image
of Samuel Morse’s 1848 patent for the electromagnetic telegraph, which opened information
about the patent:

Here’s the patent on a map of Washington, DC, at the location of the old Patent Office:

Another cool thing you can do is use a transparency slider to overlay a historical
image on top of a Google street view of the same scene today. This shows a view from
the old Patent Office toward the Treasury building:

Also in NARA’s collection, you’ll find Mathew Brady Civil War photographs; photos
of streets, buildings and historic events in Washington, DC; and images from the recently
concluded History Happens Here augmented reality contest. Future additions will
include Documerica
images, more Mathew Brady, and Brooklyn
Navy Yard photos collections.

Go here and type in a place your ancestors
lived to see what’s pinned there. You don’t have to join
Historypin to see the pins, but if you join, you can add your own images (you’ll
need a free Google account).

Historypin is also accessible via a Smartphone app. It’s a project of the British
non-profit We Are What We Do that
seeks to bring generations together around the history of their communities.

Here are images Historypin users have pinned around Cincinnati, where Family Tree
Magazine is located. Once I get started exploring these, I’m not sure how I’ll
stop myself:

News from around the web.
Go to Source
—

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Here’s a special Monday edition of our weekly
news roundup:

• Findmypast.ie, the
  Irish website that FindMyPast.uk introduced earlier this year, has added a feature
  that lets you build your family tree on the site for free (you’ll need to register
  for a free account with the site). According to the
  announcement, it’s the first step in the site’s development of a fully integrated
  family tree program where you can store photos and historical information.

• Archives.com has
  partnered with Family Tree DNA to add
  genetic genealogy testing to its offerings. Archives.com visitors can now purchase
  Family Tree DNA’s Y-chromosome, mitochondrial and Family Finder tests (they’re up
  to 30 percent off on Archives.com for a limited time). Read
  the full announcement on the Archives.com blog.

• The National Genealogical Society has released
  its 2012 Family History Conference Program in searchable form. The conferene is
  May 9–12 in Cincinnati (our hometown—will we see you there?). Registration
  opens soon: This Thursday, Dec. 1.