December, 2008
Christmas Eve 1968
[Called one of the most significant photographs in history, "Earthrise" was taken by astronaut Lt. Col. William Anders, USAF, while orbiting the moon with Col. Frank Borman, USAF, and Capt. Jim Lovell, USN, aboard Apollo 8, on 24 December 1968.]
December 24, 2008 Wednesday at 6:23 pm
Research Resource: Magazines Join Google Books
Google announced earlier this month that they now have online an archive of various magazines’ content. This is just the first iteration of an initiative that will bring online millions of page of magazine content. The initiative is being carried out with the cooperation of publishers. The magazines are searchable through Google Book Search and eventually will turn up in …
December 22, 2008 Monday at 6:19 pm
British Colonial Slave Registers Now Searchable on Ancestry–Free!
Ancestry.com’s UK site has posted slave registers from British colonial dependencies for the years 1812-1834. Although on the UK site, they are accessible from Anncesrty.com in the U.S. The site is here. The site is free. I first had heard that there was some registration requirement, but I went to the site directly without even signing into my Ancestry.com account. …
December 18, 2008 Thursday at 10:42 pm
Friday is Last Day for U.S. Archivist
Friday, December 19, 2008 is the day that the resignation of historian Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, becomes effective. Professor Weinstein, who has Parkinson’s disease, cited health reasons for his decision. Deputy Archivist of the United States, Adrienne Thomas, will serve as Acting Archivist until a new Archivist is appointed, in accordance with the National Archives governing statute. …
December 18, 2008 Thursday at 10:01 pm
FamilySearch Adds Midwestern Records
FamilySearch Record Search has added marriage records for Cook County, Illinois. The collection is currently what FamilySearch calls an “early access collection,” meaning that the collection is accessible though not yet entirely complete. What’s there now are records from 1900-1920. The entire collection ulitmately will go back to 1871. [H/T to Tom Kemp at the GenealogyBank blog]. And while we’re …
December 18, 2008 Thursday at 5:04 pm
MyHeritage Replies
Soon after Tuesday’s post about MyHeritage, the company responded. I got a lengthy comment from Alon, portions of which I’m bringing up here. COMMENTER (Alon of MyHeritage.com): . . . IMHO, the fact that you received a positive Smart Match and got in touch with a relative after entering just 3 people in your tree, shows the power and coverage …
December 18, 2008 Thursday at 9:47 am
MyHeritage Raises MyHackles, But We Make Up
I was quite excited a few mornings ago when I opened my email and found a message from MyHeritage.com that said, “Craig, You’ve Got SmartMatches!” I had signed up for MyHeritage in June to see what it was all about. I had posted an abbreviated family tree consisting of myself and my parents. Then as the summer went on, I …
December 16, 2008 Tuesday at 7:10 pm
One (Not So) Great Family
One (Not so) Great Family Back in August or September, I promised to do a series on social networking sites. Then I went to the hospital and things got backed up. I haven’t done the whole series, but I done a couple of brief reviews of several sites. First up is “One Great Family.” Soon after I first started my …
December 16, 2008 Tuesday at 6:05 pm
Elias Bowie (1910-2005)
Elias Bowie (Jr.) was my father’s uncle. He was the the brother of my grandmother, Jessie Beatrice Bowie (1909-1973). Their mother was Hattie Bryant (1888-1944). Hattie had been born on the Texas Gulf Coast. After a marriage at age 15 and another relationship, she headed for San Antonio with her infant son Herman Walker (1906-2002). In San Antonio, Hattie found …
December 4, 2008 Thursday at 9:40 pm
Christmas Season in and around Prairie du Rocher
Thanks to the nice folks at the Randolph County Historical Society, particularly secretary and museum curator Emily Lyon, I can tell you that this Sunday, December 7, the Prairie du Rocher Chamber of Commerce will put on La Fete de Noel, a festival of shopping, home tours, music and more. The annual Christmas Tree Lighting will be held at about …
December 4, 2008 Thursday at 9:18 pm
