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    • Research Resources
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    • How do I make a Family History Site with Weebly.com?
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Find your family story.

Ancestry.com and WDYTYA Season 3 Sweepstakes

1/30/2012

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_This just in from Ancestry.com:

Who Do You Think You Are is back for a 3rd season and will premier this Friday, February 3 at 8/7c on NBC.  Martin Sheen will lead off the series and other celebrities we've got lined up include Marissa Tomei, Blair Underwood, Helen Hunt, Jerome Bettis, Robb Lowe, and Paula Deen among others.  Be sure to tune-in and see what each of our celebrities learns about their family history!
We guarantee lots for surprises too.  Check out the WDYTYA site here.

In conjunction with Season 3, Ancestry.com is running a Sweepstakes where 3 Grand Prize winners will win a trip of a lifetime to uncover their own family history valued at $10,000!  The Sweepstakes includes a trip to the winner's homeland to explore their family roots, round-trip airfare for two, hotel and $2,000 in cash, plus a 6-month Ancestry.com World Explorer membership and an Ancestry.com DNA test to discover their genetic ethnicity.  20 First Prize winners will receive a 6-month Ancestry.com World Explorer membership.

##########

So click below to enter!
Win the Trip of a Lifetime to your Family's Homeland at Ancestry.com
_~Caroline

[Note: Because I am an affililate of Ancestry.com, when Sweepstakes registrants who decide to become full subscribers to Ancestry.com within 120 days of the initial entry, I receive a referral commission fee. Also, with any Ancestry.com links or images with links that you click and then with a purchase from Ancestry, I may receive a referral fee. For more disclosure information, please visit my Disclosure Page.]


Please feel free to share this blog post. Go on. Don't be shy. =)
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Who's the winner?

1/30/2012

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PictureDidn't win? Click the image & buy your copy today.
Who's the winner?

Who was the one who read the Genie-Tech Newsletter the fastest?

Who was the one who read Betsy Cross' blog post Lucky in Love? Ask His Wives the fastest?

Who emailed me their answer to the weekly Genie-Tech Newsletter the fastest?

Simple. It's none other than the one who is "Guided by the Ancestors" ~ George Geder from the blog, Geder Genealogy. That's who! George won a copy of Thomas MacEntee's Building a Research Toolbox from Legacy Family Tree Webinars. Thanks, George, for reading and participating!

You, too, can be a winner. Just sign up for the Genie-Tech Newsletter, answer the trivia question, and email me the correct answer. And? Do it that fastest.

~Caroline

[Note: I am an affiliate of Legacy Family Tree, which means if you click on a link or an image with a link to their website and purchase something, then I will be paid a small referral commission. Also, as a Geneablogger attendee to SCGS's Jamboree 2011, I received a set of webinar-on-cd's fromLegacy Family Tree, and this is where this particular one came from. For more information please visit my Disclosure Page.

Feel free to share this blog post with anyone. Seriously.
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Meet Mr. & Mrs. Brown

1/27/2012

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Picture
Picture
Yes. Brown. And? He's John Brown. *snort* And she's Harriet.

Who were these folks? Were they born in Ohio? If not, where'd they come from? Who were their families? What is their family story? Can we put them back into history where they belong?

So many questions.

48 hours to answer them.

Can we do it? There's only one way to find out...

Join us this weekend in the 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge Forum. Watch. Participate. Whichever you prefer.

~Caroline
2 Comments

Google Isn't Your Only Search Option

1/26/2012

8 Comments

 
Picture
_ With Google changing their privacy settings which will allow Google to fully monitor how a user searches across all of its sites [like Google Search, YouTube, etc.] and after a comment on Twitter about how a Bing search result came up with some different results than a Google search, I thought I might go over some search settings and options [not genealogy-specific] that I use in my Mozilla Firefox browser. Because after all, we're researchers looking for results. We don't really care what tool gets us information about our ancestors as long as we get them fast and accurately, right? [Just nod your head.]

Currently, I primarily use Mozilla Firefox 9.0 browser for my browsing needs. I also use Google Chrome, but since Firefox 9.0 came out, I've been very pleased with the Firefox browser's performance. What I really appreciate is all the add-ons that I can add to the Firefox browser that increases its functionality especially when it comes to searching for information on the internet.

I have 4 search-related extension add-ons that I have added to my Firefox browser:
  • Dictionary.com
  • Tin Eye Reverse Image Search
  • Deeper Web for Google 1.3.3
  • Instant Fox Quick Search 2.6.1
Here's a short video on Instant Fox Quick Search:



PictureClick image to enlarge.
_
The Firefox Browser has a search box incorporated onto the tool bar. Its default setting is Google [cuz who doesn't use Google, right?]. However, the default can be changed rather easily by clicking on the little arrow located in the search box. [I'd show a screen shot, but I already have the above listed extension add-ons and the Instant Fox one changes the look of the tool bar and search box a bit.] Anywho, when you click on the arrow, a menu drops down with other standard search plugins as follows:
  • Google [which is the default]
  • Google Images
  • Google Maps
  • Wikipedia
  • YouTube
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • Twitter
  • Weather
  • IMDb
  • Google Luck
  • Calculator
  • Google Translator
Some of these are useful, and some are not. However, Firefox allows you to add more search plugin add-ons. These can be found by using the Mozilla Firefox Add-On Home Page [That is, if you haven't added the Instant Fox Quick Search 2.6.1 extension add-on which allows you to add it in the drop down menu on the fly]. By entering the phrase "search engines" into the add-on search box on the add-ons page, you'll get a multi-page list of search-related plugin add-ons and extension add-ons. [See the above image on right-hand side.] What you choose is up to you. Most provide clear descriptions of their functions, how many downloads there are of it, how many reviews there are, the actual reviews, and a 0-5 star rating. [Here are complete instructions for customizing Firefox with add-ons.] I have installed the following plug-ins that are accessed with the search box on the Firefox browser tool bar and each one is linked to the its Firefox info and download page:
  • Yahoo
  • Bing
  • Add This
  • DownForEveryoneOrJustMe
  • FireFox Add-ons
  • 100 Search Engines
  • Google Scholar
  • Dogpile
  • Search Geek
  • Spific
  • Rhymes.net

Not all of them are for genealogy-related searching, and in fact, some are just added functionality for other purposes. So. Do you use any search-related extension add-ons? How about search plugins? If you do, which ones?

~Caroline

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ShoeBox App Now Fills Facebook Timeline’s Early Years With Scanned Photos Of The Past

1/26/2012

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_The following press release was received this morning from 1000memories.com:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ShoeBox App Now Fills Facebook Timeline’s Early Years With Scanned Photos Of The Past
Photo-sharing Platform 1000memories Makes First App To Add The Past To Facebook Timeline

SAN FRANCISCO, January 26, 2011 — Photo-sharing platform 1000memories is today announcing the Facebook Timeline integration of ShoeBox, the iPhone app that allows you to quickly scan and socially share old paper photos, making it the first app that lets people easily fill their Timeline gaps, as well as the Timelines of their family and friends, with pre-Internet photos from the past.  

1000memories’ ShoeBox app now allows individuals to instantly scan paper photos directly onto their Facebook Timelines, as well as those of family and friends, filling the gaps with photos and stories from pre-Facebook (and even pre-Internet) times.  Additionally, all photos on 1000memories (regardless of whether they were scanned with ShoeBox) can now be pushed to the appropriate dates on Facebook Timeline at any time from 1000memories.com.

“It's easy to forget that Facebook is only 7 years old, which means most of our photos and memories are not online yet. The introduction of Facebook Timeline has made clear the huge gaps in our life stories - most obviously from our birth dates to the invention of Facebook in 2004,” says 1000memories Co-Founder, Rudy Adler. “We built ShoeBox to finally get these photos from our past out of the closet and online where they can be enjoyed by everyone.”

ShoeBox’s scanning technology can auto-detect the edges of a photo and then quickly crop, automatically adjusting for parallax. Users can then add information typically written on the back of old photos - such as dates, names, and locations - before sharing with friends and family.  With this update, ShoeBox users can now tag their Facebook friends in photos directly from the ShoeBox app - these tags will automatically transfer when ShoeBox photos are shared to Facebook Timeline.  Additionally, you can now find and follow the ShoeBox scans your friends via your Facebook and iPhone contacts, as well as those who are already using ShoeBox and 1000memories.com.

Users can access, edit and organize their ShoeBox photos online at any time on 1000memories.com. All public content is preserved in partnership with the Internet Archive to ensure that photos will be saved for future generations.

Backed by Y-Combinator and Greylock Partners, 1000memories is a past-tense photo-sharing platform with a focus on bringing the albums, scrapbooks, and photo-filled shoeboxes out of the closet and into an online, shareable space where you can always enjoy them.  Since its launch, the ShoeBox app by 1000memories has been both featured in the iTunes store and a top-3 free photography app since its October 2011 launch. For more information, visit 1000memories.com/shoebox. About 1000memories1000memories is the best way to organize, share and discover the old photos and memories of your family and friends.  Founded in 2010 in San Francisco, California, 1000memories helps bring the albums, scrapbooks, and photo-filled shoeboxes of our lives out of the closet and into an online, shareable space where you can always enjoy them. 

For more information, visit 1000memories.com.

###

~Caroline
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Today? This is where you'll find me...

1/26/2012

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Picture
Today I'm guest blogging over at Betsy Cross' blog, Remember...a family history blog. So go check out my post, With His Spoken Word. And then? Go check out some of Betsy's posts.

The must-reads on her blog?
  • Lucky in Love? Ask His Wives
  • Behind the Smile
  • You May Be Halfway Dead. Wake Up!
So. What are you still doing here? Go.

~Caroline

Please feel free to share this blog post. Thanks!
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NBC's Who Do You Think You Are? Preview of Season 3

1/25/2012

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It's always awesome to see someone wowed by their family's history.

I agree with Reba, "This is really cool."

And I agree with Martin Sheen that if our family history was written in a novel, it would be hard to believe.

But isn't it incredible that we can discover that it is true?



Season 3 of NBC's Who Do You Think You Are begins Friday, February 3rd. 8pm ET / 7pm CT. The last I heard the first episode will be featuring Martin Sheen. So, come see where your favorite celebs came from, and maybe get inspired to find out where you came from. Or not. It's up to you. ;)

~Caroline

Note: I am an affiliate with Ancestry.com, who is a sponsor of NBC's Who Do You Think You Are. For more disclosure information please visit my Disclosure Page.

Please feel free to share this blog post. Thanks!
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Rootstech 2012 App is Available!

1/24/2012

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PictureHome Screen of Rootstech App on my iPhone.
The Rootstech 2012 App is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android.

What can you do with the app?
I just took a quick look, but here's what I found:
  • Create and keep your conference schedule.
  • Refer to the Exhibit Hall map and the Salt Palace map.
  • Refer to Developer, User Events, or All Events.
  • Refer to Speaker Bios.
  • Consult Conference PDF documents for additional conference information.
  • View conference photo gallery.
  • Watch conference-related videos that are already found in the app.
  • Access, view, and tweet from the app. [It's like they had me in mind when they added this one. LOL.]
  • Make friends / contacts and connect with them through the app.
  • Access the RSS feed for official conference news.




Did I get everything? I dunno. I'm going to go play with it.

The app is available for the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and the iPad in the App Store on your device or I found it here: http://www.ifreeware.net/download-rootstech-2012.html

Also the app is available for Android in the Android Market.

~Caroline



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Time Will Tell the Path Taken

1/23/2012

4 Comments

 
Picture
_August 7 1906
"cloudy misty day we went to Collins looked at city property 75"
August 8 1906
"showery Ray commenced to fall plow it is Rays birthday he is 20 years old today 75"
August 9 1906
"clear the shocks are too wet to thrash 80"
August 10 1906
"clear Mary and Willis went home 86"
August 11 1906
"clear cool day we went to Baxter talked to Mr. Arnold about buying his farm property" [no temperature entry]

The above entries were taken from the daily farm journal of my husband's 2nd great-grandparents, Daniel and Lovina [Logsdon] Haley whose farm was just outside of Collins, Iowa. The entries were made by Lovina, and the 2 journals that my father-in-law now owns span 1 Jan 1900 through 31 Aug 1907. Like many farmers' journals of that time period, the entries include a short description of the weather, the temperature from the hottest part of the day, and what was done on the farm. However, there is personal information included at times as is evidenced above by Lovina including their son's birthday in the 8 Aug 1906 entry.

So what does this have to do with technology and genealogy? Well, it made me think about the journaling of today and who is doing it and how. Clearly Daniel and Lovina needed this information about the farm in order to reference it in later years, but Lovina included personal items in it as well. I think I like it more than if she had written detailed accounts of their days. It leaves me to dream about those small details that managed to be significant enough to her that she included them in her brief entries.

I know my old calendars are full of mundane things like,

"Take kids to BBall practice C-5:30pm R-6:30pm."

"Go to store. Don't forget T.P."

"C's birthday - take out to eat."

"R's birthday in 2 wks ~ what to get?"

I think they're mundane, but will my descendants? Will they wonder about what I didn't write? Will they care? Will they be able to decipher my handwriting?"

Then this line of thinking made me think of my iPhone and how I could be journaling there, and, of course, that led me to apps. <grin>

I found an app that looked interesting to me. Originally launched in November of 2010, the Path app was relaunched December of 2011. They've dubbed it the "Smart Journal" and it's key features are as follows:
  • Each user is limited to 150 friends making it a more personal sharing experience
  • Able to post entries without you having to do it manually by using technology that learns about you as you use it [it's not as creepy as it sounds & you can turn this feature off]
  • Able to post photos, short videos, music, text and share with friends
  • When you so desire and it's appropriate, you can post to bigger social networks
  • Meant to be a more personal network for close friends and family members
Here's a video about the Path app:

Path - Share Life from Path on Vimeo.

And here's a demo of the Path App:

Path - Introducing Path 2 from Path on Vimeo.

_I know the Smart Journal feature may sound a little creepy to you, but isn't there a reason why Lovina's and my journal entries are so short? Moms are busy, but the one thing that many people have nowadays in their pocket is a smartphone that is able to do amazing things with technology. What would have Lovina written about if she had had something like this to help her? Would she have written at all? Would it have been about more personal thoughts and feelings? It's something to think about. Additionally, while there is no automatic way to download the data from their site, you can contact them and ask for your data.

Also, I know people often say that we're too busy working going here and going there, that we should slow down and be more like our ancestors, but I've found many kinfolk who traveled here and there for their occupations. They were gone for a lot longer time periods, and how wonderful it would've been if they could've been able to keep in constant contact with their loved ones. It's something to think about, especially when you're sitting there trying to figure out where your ancestor was in 1914 and lamenting the fact they didn't leave a journal or diary behind for you.

There are more journal apps that I'll blog about later, but this one is kind of neat. It's different, and it seems so easy. Perhaps easy enough to persuade reluctant and busy family members and close friends to join and share.

I guess only time will tell the path.

Like the path that Lovina and her Haley farm journals reveal.

Journals that were written on paper in pencil over 100 years ago.

Here's  the 'skinny' on the Path App:
  • It's FREE.
  • It's available for theiPhone and Android.
  • Path.com has a very nice FAQs page.
  • Path.com has a blog.
  • You can find Path on Twitter @Path.
  • You can find Path onFacebook.

~Caroline
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Nothing to be feared, the man with a long, long beard

1/20/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Lucky Winner is...
Mr. E.D. Seeley is the lucky winner this weekend of the privilege of the attempt of being placed back into history. That's right. Researchers will be tirelessly researching the photo of the man with a long, long beard to uncover his family story in the 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge Forum this weekend.

The Wha-?
The 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge is a forum that my 14yo daughter thought of and named. [She's brilliant, yes?] Then I created it in a forum format so that researchers can have a little weekend fun researching a piece of ephemera from my ever-growing private collection. [Lest ye judge, fun can be individually defined. And? I could've been collecting Beanie Babies. Remember that. ;) ] Eventually, the challenge will include other researchers' ephemera pieces.

The public forum is completely searchable by Google so that others can find the pieces and the info that has been found on them. Additionally, being public, the forum can be viewed by anyone. However, if you'd like to join in the search and post results, you must join for FREE.

Will you be joining us this weekend in the 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge Forum? All lurkers and voyeurs are welcome. All help will be very much welcomed and appreciated.


Will we be able to find out who Mr. E.D. Seeley was, what his story is, and where he belongs in history?

~Caroline

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