Register for Webinar Wednesday — Introduction to and Overview of Microsoft PowerPoint – Class 1 of 9 by Seema Kenney

2023-05-17-register
 
PowerPoint is part of the Microsoft Office Suite. It is similar to other programs, yet different as well. This presentation will introduce you to the program as well as the personalization options available to make the program do more work for you.
 
About the presenter

SeemaKenney-144x144A wife, mother of 3, and entrepreneur, Seema is an active member of several societies and part of the NERGC planning committee. Based on over 20 years of research, her known roots are deep in New England as well as England, Germany, and Sweden. DNA research has now added The Netherlands to that list.

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We look forward to seeing you all there!


Do You Read Your Photographs?

Do You Read Your Photographs?

I recently came across a Minnesota Historical Society LibGuide that really interested me. In their LibGuide, Photographs: Research & Ordering, they include a section on "images as primary sources." This got me thinking about how often we take our historical photos and really study them. Analyzing them for clues that may not be apparent from a cursory look.

Not all photos may require careful study. But in cases where photos show multiple people, an unknown background, an activity, or something else you are curious about, carefully analyzing the image should be done, just as we could analyze documents. This can especially be important when using a non-relative related photograph to provide historical or social context.

Minnesota Historical Society recommends "reading" photos by asking questions such as :

  • "What do you already know about the photo?
    • Photographer?
    • Location?
    • Date?
    • Caption or other written description?
  • Look at the entire photograph
    • What is the subject matter? (Portrait, building, event, etc.)
    • What is happening in the photo?
  • Look at individual parts of the photograph
    • What is in the Foreground? The Background?
    • Where is your eye drawn first? What less-obvious things do you notice?
    • Examine people, objects, signage, setting, time, etc...
  • What does the photo say to you? To others?
    • Are the people in the photo expressing certain emotions?
    • Does it evoke certain emotions in the viewer?
  • Why was the photograph taken, and who is the audience?
    • For a documentary or journalism purpose?
    • For sale (as a postcard, poster, etc.)?
    • To advertise something?
    • As an artistic expression?
  • What decisions did the photographer make when taking this picture?
    • Is it posed?
    • Why did they take the photo at that exact moment? What happened right before the photo was taken? Right after?
    • Did the photographer make the choices they did (perspective, focus, angles, etc.)?
    • Was the photo edited, cropped, or colorized? What did that change?
  • What questions do you have after viewing the photo?" [1]

Using this methodology, let's consider a historic photograph and what more can be learned from it.

I am an American
Courtesy: Library of Congress. https://flic.kr/p/2mKNnx5

Take a minute, even if you know what this photo is about, to "read" the photo.

What is shown in the photo?

  • A building that appears to contain a grocery-type store called Wanto Co. A sign reading Grocery can be found at the top left. Fruits and vegetables are listed in the left-side window.
  • A car is parked next to a mailbox.
  • A sign that reads, "I am an American."

What is the purpose of this photograph, and who is the audience? This most likely is not a family photo. It appears to be more of a documentary photo. The photographer seems to have taken it to document a moment in time.

Just looking at the photograph itself, we don't know the answer to who the photographer is or why they took the photo. Research into newspapers and city directories might provide us with a clue about Wanto Co. Adding information about the car might help to date the photo.

We may ask why a sign stating I Am An American is added. Why would this be important to announce to a community?

If we go to the website Flickr the Commons and see the page for this photo uploaded by the Library of Congress, we read that the photo was taken by Dorthea Lange, who spent some time taking photographs for the US government. The description states:

Oakland, Calif., Mar. 1942. A large sign reading "I am an American" placed in the window of a store at [401 - 403 Eighth] and Franklin Streets on December 8, the day after Pearl Harbor. The store was closed following orders to persons of Japanese descen[t]

The description tells us more. We can assume that the store owner was of Japanese descent. This information can lead us to other questions about the time period, the owner, and his store. Googling adds even more to this story, including information about the sign commissioned by Tatsuro Matsuda, whose family owned the store, and the taking of the photo. You can read more in the article The Wanto Co Family.

Start Reading Your Photos

It's said that a photo is worth a thousand words, but when we take time to read it, we may find more information than what's on the surface. What questions do you consider as you "read" your historic photographs? Have you ever used those questions to learn more about the photos?

[1] "Images as Primary Sources," Photographs: Research & Ordering (https://libguides.mnhs.org/photos/primary: accessed 1 May 2023).

 

Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, instructor, and researcher. She blogs at Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. You can find her presentations on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website.

 


Name Changes and the Law - free replay of tonight's BCG webinar by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL now available for limited time

2023-05-16-image500blog

The recording of today's webinar by the Board for Certification of Genealogists and Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, "Name Changes and the Law” is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com/BCG for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

Names weren’t changed at Ellis Island, but in courts, legislatures and elsewhere both formally and officially — and on the fly. As genealogists, we need to know why names were changed, and how those changes might be recorded, if we want to have a chance at finding out what’s in a name.

View the Recording at FamilyTreeWebinars.com

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 8 minute recording of "Name Changes and the Law" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

  • On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 1,978 classes of genealogy education)
  • On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 7,521 pages)
  • On-demand access to the live webinars' chat logs
  • 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout)
  • Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
  • Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar
  • Access to register for bonus members-only webinars
  • Ability to view which webinars you are registered for
  • Use of the playlist, resume watching, and jump-to features

Introductory pricing:

  • Annual membership: $49.95/year

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Print the 2023 webinar brochure here.


Register for Tuesday's BCG webinar — Name Changes and the Law by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

2023-05-16-register
 
Names weren’t changed at Ellis Island, but in courts, legislatures and elsewhere both formally and officially — and on the fly. As genealogists, we need to know why names were changed, and how those changes might be recorded, if we want to have a chance at finding out what’s in a name.
 
About the presenter

JudyRussell-144x144A genealogist with a law degree, Judy G. Russell is a lecturer, educator and writer who enjoys helping others understand a wide variety of genealogical issues, including the interplay between genealogy and the law. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and a law degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark, and holds Certified Genealogist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer credentials from the Board for Certification of Genealogists. She has worked as a newspaper reporter, trade association writer, legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor and, until her retirement, was an adjunct member of the faculty at Rutgers Law School. Judy is a Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side. Visit her website at www.legalgenealogist.com.

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The webinar will be live on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at:

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  1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
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  6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
  7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!


Spies, Slackers, and Aliens: Records of the American Protective League — free replay of today's webinar by Michael L. Strauss, AG now available for limited time

2023-05-12-image500blog

The recording of today's webinar by Michael L. Strauss, AG, "Spies, Slackers, and Aliens: Records of the American Protective League” is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

Organized in Chicago, IL in 1917 by citizens who believed the United States Department of Justice was understaffed and not up to the task of fighting against espionage. They grew to a volunteer force of more than 250,000 members. The APL was given absolute power to stop ordinary citizens in the streets by checking whether men were legally registered for draft, or were sympathetic to the Germans, or those unregistered aliens living in the United States. Long believed to be a pseudo-patriotic organization. The APL documented both members and their activities in rich genealogical and historical details at the time the United States entered World War I.

View the Recording at FamilyTreeWebinars.com

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 16 minutes recording of "Spies, Slackers, and Aliens: Records of the American Protective League" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

  • On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 1,977 classes of genealogy education)
  • On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 7,499 pages)
  • On-demand access to the live webinars' chat logs
  • 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout)
  • Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
  • Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar
  • Access to register for bonus members-only webinars
  • Ability to view which webinars you are registered for
  • Use of the playlist, resume watching, and jump-to features

Introductory pricing:

  • Annual membership: $49.95/year

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Print the 2023 webinar brochure here.


Register for Friday's webinar — Spies, Slackers, and Aliens: Records of the American Protective League by Michael L. Strauss, AG

2023-05-12-register
 
Organized in Chicago, IL in 1917 by citizens who believed the United States Department of Justice was understaffed and not up to the task of fighting against espionage. They grew to a volunteer force of more than 250,000 members. The APL was given absolute power to stop ordinary citizens in the streets by checking whether men were legally registered for draft, or were sympathetic to the Germans, or those unregistered aliens living in the United States. Long believed to be a pseudo-patriotic organization. The APL documented both members and their activities in rich genealogical and historical details at the time the United States entered World War I.
 
About the presenter

MichaelStrauss-2018-144x144Michael L. Strauss, AG, an Accredited Genealogist and forensic investigator, is a native of Pennsylvania and a resident of Utah. He holds a BA in History and is a United States Coast Guard veteran. He is a licensed Private Investigator and qualified expert witness in Surrogate Court and Circuit Court in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. Michael is an approved genealogist with the United States Army to locate DNA qualified persons MIA from Korea, Vietnam, and World War II. He is a national genealogical lecturer and instructor for military courses at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), and Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research (VIGR). He was the film historian for the 2015 Academy Award nominated movie “Finding Vivian Maier”.

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Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for a limited time. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access to all webinar recordings for the duration of their membership.

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With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Friday, May 12, 2023 at:

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  • 1pm Central
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Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

  1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
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  3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
  4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
  5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
  6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
  7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!


3 Digital Collection Resources for New York

Digital collections are one way to conduct research prior to planning a trip to an ancestral hometown. Make sure to exhaust genealogy subscription websites, local libraries, archives, and historical societies. The following three resources for New York are an example of what could be found when you search for digital collections in the place your ancestor lived. Although these places have great New York collections, they also have items outside the state and country.

1) New York Historical Society Museum & Library

NYHS

The New York Historical Society Museum & Library founded in 1804 offers “on-site and online visitors a vast collection of art, objects, artifacts, and documents, as well as ongoing collecting programs that demonstrate a broad grasp of history’s enduring importance and its central role in explaining our present day.”

What do they offer online visitors? Their collection includes a digital collection of books and records. Some items of interest to the family historian include:

Ladies Christian Union Records 1850-2001 

“The records of the Ladies' Christian Union include annual reports, minutes, financial and real estate records, correspondence, photographs, biographical writings, membership lists, ephemera, printed brochures, articles, and manuals. The Ladies Christian Union was founded in New York City in 1858 with the aim of creating and maintaining safe, affordable housing for young, unmarried Christian women employed in the New York area. Between the years 1860-1922, the organization owned and operated a total of eight buildings in Manhattan. In 1871, the "Young Ladies Branch" of the Ladies Christian Union established itself as an independent organization known as the "Young Ladies Christian Association," better known today as the "Young Womens Christian Association" (YWCA).”

Association for the Benefit of Colored Orphans records, 1836-1972 (bulk 1850-1936) 

"The Association for the Benefit of Colored Orphans was founded in 1836 and was originally located on Fifth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets in Manhattan. The Colored Orphan Asylum was among the earliest organizations in the country to provide housing, training, and employment specifically for African American orphans. During the Draft Riots of July 14, 1863, the Colored Orphan Asylum was attacked by a mob. At that time, it housed some 600 to 800 homeless children in a large four story building surrounded by grounds and gardens. The crowd plundered the Asylum, then set fire to the first floor. While the children were evacuated, the building burned to the ground. The records of the Colored Orphan Asylum document the activities of the institution from 1836 to 1972, with the bulk of the records falling between 1850 and 1936."

Highlights from the Map Collections 

"The New York Historical Society's map collection ranges from the 17th century to the present and includes printed and manuscript items. Geographic scope varies by time period, but extends from New York to the entire country. Among the manuscript maps that have been digitized are the unique sketches of projected battle sites of the American Revolution by Robert Erskine and Simeon DeWitt, and a series of maps created by Lawrence Veiller for the Tenement House Committee that document overcrowding in Manhattan in 1899."

To find more digital collections from the New York Historical Society, see their website .

 

New York Public Library Digital Collection

NYPL

One of my favorite library digital collections, the New York Public Library Digital Collection, currently includes over 935,700 items that range from genealogically significant items with names and locations to social history items like postcards and menus. Like any of these larger collections, some of the materials are not New York oriented, so they really are resources that all researchers should check out.

Two examples include:

Atlases of New York City 

“NYPL's holdings of real estate and fire insurance atlases dating from the 19th and 20th centuries, showing streets, blocks, tax lots, and land use classifications of New York City's five boroughs and the surrounding metropolitan area.”

Photographic Views of New York City, 1870-1970s 

"Approximately 54,000 New York City photographs (and their captioned versos), primarily of exterior building views and neighborhood scenes, from the 1870s-1970s, arranged by borough and street."

 

New York Genealogical and Biographical Society 

NYGB

NYG&B has an amazing collection of online genealogical relevant records that are searchable or browsable. Check out their website for more genealogical resources. A quick perusal of their Collections Catalog gives a glimpse of what researchers with New York ancestors can find.

Albany County Cemetery Records 

Browseable record collection of transcribed gravestone inscriptions. Other county cemetery records can also be found in the digital collection.

Bible Records from the American Bible Society 

Bible records that cannot be found anywhere else. Housed in Manhattan and searchable from this digital collection.

New York Estate Inventory Abstracts 1666-1825 

“The documents compiled in this collection consist of “petitions, letters of renunciation, bills and receipts” regarding the estates of the deceased. Specifically, it details how the state managed the estates that the deceased left behind. What is abstracted here is listed alphabetically according to the name of the decedent."

 

Find it Online

There are some wonderful digital collections for New York from the New York Historical Society, New York Public Library and the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. Have New York ancestors? Start with a digital collection prior to planning a research trip to the Big Apple.

 

Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, instructor, and researcher. She blogs at Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. You can find her presentations on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website.

 

 


The Latest Mobile Features on the MyHeritage App — free replay of today's webinar by Gilad Katz now available

The Latest Mobile Features on the MyHeritage App — free replay of today's webinar by Gilad Katz now available

The recording of today's webinar by Gilad Katz, "The Latest Mobile Features on the MyHeritage App” is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free.

Webinar Description

Gilad Katz, Senior Product Manager at MyHeritage, will introduce the latest features on the MyHeritage mobile app and show you how the app makes scanning, organizing, and improving your photos easier than ever before.

View the Recording at FamilyTreeWebinars.com

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 58 minute recording of "The Latest Mobile Features on the MyHeritage App" is now available to view in our webinar library for free.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

  • On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 1,976 classes of genealogy education)
  • On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 7,499 pages)
  • On-demand access to the live webinars' chat logs
  • 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout)
  • Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
  • Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar
  • Access to register for bonus members-only webinars
  • Ability to view which webinars you are registered for
  • Use of the playlist, resume watching, and jump-to features

Introductory pricing:

  • Annual membership: $49.95/year

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Print the 2023 webinar brochure here.


Register for Tuesday's MyHeritage Webinar Series webinar — The Latest Mobile Features on the MyHeritage App by Gilad Katz

2023-05-09-register
 
Gilad Katz, Senior Product Manager at MyHeritage, will introduce the latest features on the MyHeritage mobile app and show you how the app makes scanning, organizing, and improving your photos easier than ever before.
 
About the presenter

GiladKatz-144x144Gilad is a Senior Product Manager at MyHeritage, responsible for the MyHeritage mobile app. Within his role, Gilad leads a team that develops new features for MyHeritage’s mobile applications and ensures that users have the best mobile experience possible. Prior to MyHeritage, Gilad worked on mobile products in various fields, including education-tech, e-commerce, and media. Gilad is passionate about building products that people love to use, and in his spare time he likes traveling with his family and playing guitar.

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To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

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Add it to your Google Calendar

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at:

  • 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
  • 1pm Central
  • 12pm Mountain
  • 11am Pacific

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

  1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
  2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
  3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
  4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
  5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
  6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
  7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!


Working on the Railroad: Pullman Porters and Maids - free replay of today's webinar by Janice Lovelace, PhD now available for limited time

Working on the Railroad: Pullman Porters and Maids - free replay of today's webinar by Janice Lovelace, PhD now available for limited time

The recording of today's webinar by Janice Lovelace, PhD, "Working on the Railroad: Pullman Porters and Maids” is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

The Pullman Company was one of the leading employers of African Americans, primarily male Porters, who worked on the railroad in the late 19th and early 20th century. This presentation will look briefly at the general growth of the railroad as well as the Pullman Company which built rail cars and rented them to rail companies. Pullman hired primarily African American men and women to staff the dining and sleeping cars. What was the job like and what were lives like for the Porters and Maids? How do we find records of ancestors who were Pullman Porters or Maids?

View the Recording at FamilyTreeWebinars.com

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 14 minute recording of "Working on the Railroad: Pullman Porters and Maids" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

  • On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 1,975 classes of genealogy education)
  • On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 7,495 pages)
  • On-demand access to the live webinars' chat logs
  • 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout)
  • Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
  • Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar
  • Access to register for bonus members-only webinars
  • Ability to view which webinars you are registered for
  • Use of the playlist, resume watching, and jump-to features

Introductory pricing:

  • Annual membership: $49.95/year

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Print the 2023 webinar brochure here.