• Ancestry.com announced yesterday their expansion on their collaboration with FamilySearch.org to provide the over 1 billion records and record images they -- together -- have made available online to be available to its Ancestry.com user base. While these records were already digitized on FamilySearch.org, this adds way more convenience and value to those using Ancestry.com and maintaining a family tree there. So, Ancestry.com users should expect more shaky leaf hints. And? They've already begun to put the indexed records there.

• Across the pond, the Society of Genealogists [SoG] have added transcriptions of Male Servants Tax 1780 to their online database collections.
• Genealogy App Developers: Tamura Jones explains the new WikiTree API.
• On Adventures in Genealogy, Deb explains how she uses Google Drive for keeping track of her research. [I love Google Drive, myself.]
• GenealogyBank announced yesterday their recent additions to their online US newspaper collections. 
• And USGenWeb volunteer contributors uploaded 53 files yesterday for various counties in the following US states: Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia.

• Did you miss the 8 genealogy things you needed to know yesterday?
  
• Doing these 3 things will profoundly help your genealogy research.
• GoodReader & GeniusScan+ iOS Apps for Genealogy? Oh, yes.

Happy Researching!
~Caroline
© Copyright 2014 4YourFamilyStory.com -- All Rights Reserved.

• Did one of your passwords make this list of the 25 worst ones of 2013?
• For Evernote users: Are you using Evernote to collaborate with others? Here's a great feature you can use for that.
• Here's how to spot a dangerous email attachment from Makeuseof.com.
• Great tip from Evidence Explained on how to analyze a record using a church record. And then here's a great follow-up to it that discusses some things to consider while making research plans.

• Have Irish ancestors? Here's the latest from Claire on Irish Genealogy News: details on a Wexford small source from Flyleaf and mentions free download of 3 Ulster Scots titles.
• Genealogy Trails volunteer contributors uploaded records and information yesterday for various counties for the following US states: Texas and Tennessee.
• USGenWeb volunteer contributors uploaded 192 files for various counties in the following US states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Virginia, and Washington.
• Jelly for Genealogy? Maybe. Why not? Here's a new app/service that makes it easier to ask your Twitter and/or Facebook networks to help identify things you've taken pics of. I've downloaded it on my iPad and Samsung Note 2. Check out their video:

• Did you miss the 8 genealogy things you needed to know yesterday?
  
• Here are 5 Steps to get you unstuck on Ancestry.com.
• Get your genealogy organized with Evernote. [VIDEO]

Happy Researching!
~Caroline
© Copyright 2014 4YourFamilyStory.com -- All Rights Reserved.

• The registration for The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) opens tomorrow according to Angela McGhie on her blog Adventures in Genealogy Education.
• For Evernote users: here is a handy Evernote tip from Denise Olson on Moultrie Creek; a rather dandy Evernote tip from Lifehacker Australia; and a review of the Adonit Jot Script Evernote Edition.
• And from the Awesome News Department: Washington County, Ohio court records are being indexed.
• Help needed: Can you help the York Castle Museum read the shorthand in these 2 WWI diaries? [The History Blog]

• In need of your own network storage system? On arstechnica.com, Jason gives a thorough review of Western Digital's My Cloud.
• On Ancestoring, Michele Simmons Lewis asks, "If you find a transcribed document on USGenWeb, what do you do?" And then she explains what she does.
• Speaking of USGenWeb and finding stuff, yesterday their volunteer contributors uploaded 421 files for various counties in the following US states: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, News Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. 
• And Genealogy Trails volunteer contributors recently uploaded records and information for various counties in the following US states: Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.

• Did you miss the 5 genealogy things you needed to know yesterday?
  
• Are you listening to genealogy and history podcasts?
• Here are 9 family tree apps for your iPad.

Happy Researching!
~Caroline
© Copyright 2014 4YourFamilyStory.com -- All Rights Reserved.

Need something to listen to while commuting back and forth from work?

Need something to listen to while working out?

Don't have time to read all those posts from blogs you put in your RSS reader on that Saturday you told yourself you were gonna get on top of things?

Did you make a new year's resolution a couple of week's ago to be a better researcher? And to actually find the time to research?

Then perhaps it's time to start listening...listening to news, research tips, and history that will help you accomplish your goals.

I've been listening to podcasts and internet radio shows in many genres for a while now (especially business, marketing, etc.). They're great because I can do other stuff while listening and learning.

What is a podcast? A podcast is a series of (usually) audio or video "shows" delivered on the Internet that can be subscribed to via various means; they can be downloaded and listened to offline via a mobile device; or they can be listened to on the web on either your desktop, laptop, or mobile device.

What is Internet Radio? Internet radio is an audio show transmitted on the Internet and these tend to be episodic as well; a popular service that provides this service is BlogTalkRadio.

Learn More About Podcasts and Internet Radio:

• How Podcasting Works from HowStuffWorks [Shows you how to listen to a podcast.]
• Tips for Podcasting Fans from Apple iTunes for those with Apple devices. 
• How to Listen to Podcasts from About.com.
• Podcast Apps from Appadvice
• Best Podcast Apps for iPhone and iPad from iMore
• Top 10 Podcast Apps for Android from Heavy.com
• Best Free Android Apps for Listening to Podcasts from whsv.com 
• BlogTalkRadio: Listener Resources
• Learn More about Radio On Demand from Stitcher.com [More than just a podcast listening app, it's a radio app, of sorts, available for both iOS and Android.]
• Listen to All Your Favorite Shows with Stitcher Radio from Appstorm.net

Now, there are plenty of audio shows for you to choose from. Here are 27 active ones in no particular order I find interesting which fall into the genealogy, family history, and history categories with links to their websites:

1. African Roots Podcast by Angela Walton-Raji
2. The Genealogy Guys Podcast with George Morgan and Drew Smith
   
3. Genealogy Gems Podcast: Your Family History Show with Lisa Louise Cooke
   
4. Family Tree Magazine Podcasts
   
5. EOGN Podcast by Dick Eastman
   
6. Fieldstone Common by Marian Pierre-Louis 
   
7. The Genealogy Professional Podcast by Marian Pierre-Louis
8. Maple Stars and Stripes: Your French Genealogy Podcast by Sandra Goodwin
9. My Society by the Federation of Genealogical Societies on BlogTalkRadio
   
10. The Forget-Me-Not Hour with Jane E. Wilcox on BlogTalkRadio
    
11. Research at the National Archives and Beyond by Bernice Bennett on BlogTalkRadio
    
12. Anita Talks Genealogy by Anita Wills on BlogTalkRadio
13. The Library of Congress Podcasts
14. The National Archives [UK]
15. National Archives of Australia Papers & Podcasts
16. Library and Archives of Canada Podcasts
17. Appalachian History by Dave Tabler
18. Revolutions Podcast by Mike Duncan
19. The History of England Podcast by David Crowther
20. Dan Carlin's Hardcore History by Dan Carlin
21. A History of WWII Podcast by Ray Harris, Jr.
22. Witness Podcast from BBC
23. Stuff You Missed in History Class from HowStuffWorks.com
24. New York City History: The Bowery Brothers Podcast from Greg Young & Tom Meyers
25. The British History Podcast by Jamie Jeffers
26. Civil War Podcast by Richard Youngdahl
27. The History of English Podcast from Kevin Stroud

So, are you already listening to genealogy and history podcasts? If so, which ones? And what app are you using? If you're not listening already, do you plan to? Which ones? Let every one know in comments below!

Happy Researching!
~Caroline
© Copyright 2014 4YourFamilyStory.com -- All Rights Reserved.

It's Sunday. A day for easy. [Thanks to Lionel Ritchie.] So here's your Easy 5 Things:

1. Oh, this is slick. And fun. And pretty. I envision lots of slick, fun, and pretty family stories being told with this app. Mentioned in the Google+ Tech for Genealogy Community by Yvette Pintar: the Storehouse iPad app for visual storytelling. And then here's even more info about how it works.
2. And then also in the Google+ Tech for Genealogy Community, Jerry Kocis shared that Box.com, a cloud storage service that I happen to use, is offering 50GB of free storage to iOS users when they download the app.  [Very nice.]
3. Plan your learning & exploring this week: Dear Myrtle has the upcoming genealogy webinars, chats, and hangouts.
4. USGenWeb volunteer contributors uploaded 143 files yesterday for various counties in the following US states: Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.
5. Tired of scanning your old photos and documents by yourself? Or maybe you're tired of feeling guilty every time you glance at the big pile of stuff that needs to be scanned. Join us in Sunday ScanDay for just one hour every Sunday at 3pm CT as we "meet" virtually in a Facebook Group and scan together. Just one hour. Easy peasy. Together, we got this. 

• Did you miss the 9 genealogy things you needed to know yesterday?
• How about the 7 genealogy things you needed to know Friday?
• And how about the 10 genealogy things you needed Thursday?
• Maybe the 10 genealogy things you needed on Wednesday?
• What about the 10 genealogy things on Tuesday?
• Perhaps the 11 things on Monday?
• The 4 on Sunday?

Happy Researching!
~Caroline
© Copyright 2014 4YourFamilyStory.com -- All Rights Reserved.

• Windows starting slow for you? Remove these 10 things [Makeuseof.com] to make your start time faster.
• For Evernote users: Here are 3 tools you need to be using with Evernote. [Not using Evernote for genealogy? Here's how. And if you're in the Austin area in March, I'll be showing the Austin Genealogical Society how too along with some pretty cool Evernote tools. So, new stuff.]
• Taking photos with your Android smartphone? Here are 5 Android apps from Makeuseof.com to help you be better at it.

• From Chris on The British GENES Blog: Canada's Hansard Record Now Online; Irish Volunteers Newspaper is online; and Scottish research online course starts February 27th; 
• The Military Service Pension Records, 1916-1923 went online yesterday on MilitaryArchives.ie, and Claire on Irish Genealogy News has some very helpful notes about it. 
• Also on Irish Genealogy News, Claire has all the recent updates for the Ireland Genealogy Projects Archive.
• Yesterday, FamilySearch.org released a bunch of new indexed record databases and record image databases for England, Indonesia, Mexico, Nova Scotia, Portugal, Russia, Spain, the US, and in particular for the following US states: Iowa, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont.
• Genealogy Trails volunteer contributors recently uploaded records and information for various counties in the following US states: Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, and Pennsylvania.
• USGenWeb volunteer contributors recently uploaded 129 files for various counties in the following US states: Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New York, and Virginia.

• Did you miss the 7 genealogy things you needed to know yesterday?
• 10 Steps to Fix That Online Family Tree You Started
• Be more productive in 2014 with these 39 productivity apps for genealogy.

Happy Researching!
~Caroline
© Copyright 2014 4YourFamilyStory.com -- All Rights Reserved.

• Are you backing up all your research? On his blog Family Tree Knots, Ken has a great series he started back in December about backing up. He includes an overview, local backups, and cloud storage. Check it out.
• On her blog, Family Folklore, Sue illustrates why it's so important to slow down and analyze everything. It's part 4 of trying to identify people in a record. She does a great job, and trust me. You just need to go read it. [Then go read the other parts. They're that good.]
• For Evernote users: inviting friends is now more rewarding and be more productive when you combine Evernote with IFTTT recipes from attorneyatwork.com.
• Learn how to use the new Google Earth Tour Builder [via gearthblog.com] and think about how you might build a tour of where your ancestors lived or where they migrated.

• Yesterday Ancestry.com updated indexing of a web-based database for Ohio and added 2 new databases for New Mexico & Texas and Nova Scotia, Canada.
• FamilySearch.org updated the records collection yesterday for The Netherlands [Overijssel].
• And USGenWeb volunteer contributors uploaded 107 files recently for various counties in the following US states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

• Did you miss the 10 genealogy things you needed to know yesterday?
• Here's the easiest search log you may ever use. [VIDEO]
• App Review: How To Write Your Family History App

Happy Researching!
~Caroline
© Copyright 2014 4YourFamilyStory.com -- All Rights Reserved.

• I see this a lot. Some tend to get caught up in the science of citations that they don't notice it's also an art. This Quick Tip from Evidence Explained should be freeing to some. [And distressing for those who like things to be more scientific. ;) ]
• Did you have some emailing issues with the email addresses The Legal Genealogist gave yesterday in her call to arms for Virginia records? She gives some alternative ones today in Emailing Virginia.
• Protect your online images with these 6 watermark apps from ReadWrite.
• In Google+ Tech for Genealogy Community, Jerry Kocis shared the details & link for the MSOffice OneNote webinar that is coming up. [Office 15-minute Webinars.]
• On the Picture This blog, Barbara shares what's been added recently to the Library of Congress Flickr Commons. Lots of good stuff -- 75+ libraries, archives & museums are now involved. When was the last time you took a look and helped to identify something or found something that could help you in your research? [Hint: It's been too long.]

• The NGS Conference Blog this month is highlighting research repositories located near Richmond, Virginia, where the conference will be held in May to make it easier for you to plan your research-related extracurricular activities while attending their conference. [Handy. And even dandy.]
• Yesterday Ancestry.com updated its 1861 England Census database.
• FamilySearch.org either added or updated records and record images yesterday for Belgium [Brabant]; Germany [Hesse]; Italy [Cuneo]; and for the US states of New York [Bronx Probate Estate Files]; and Ohio [Deaths 1908-1953].
• GenealogyTrails volunteer contributors uploaded records and information for various counties in the following US states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Maine.
• USGenWeb volunteer contributors uploaded 183 files yesterday for various counties in various states. However, due to a tech hiccup, only the updates/links for the US state of California were listed. The rest should be listed with links in tomorrow's update summary. Can't wait? Check out USGenWeb.org by state and do a search there today. 

• Did you miss the 10 genealogy things you needed to know yesterday?
  
• OneNote on-the-go with the app.
• ABBYY FineScanner for genealogy?

Happy Researching!
~Caroline
© Copyright 2014 4YourFamilyStory.com -- All Rights Reserved.

• The Legal Genealogist has issued a "call to arms" in Virginia and the Virginia Genealogical Society needs your help.
• Here's an excellent tip from James on Genealogy's Star about using the Library of Congress' website for your family history research.
• Ancestors in Boston? On the Genealogy Bank blog, Tony Pettinato lists 86 online Boston newspapers to help you out with solving your family history mysteries.
• Makeuseof.com recently compared 4 screenshot tools.
• Speaking of screenshots, here's how you do it on your Chromebook also from Makeuseof.com.
• Speaking of Chromebook, here are a list of apps to do the stuff you wanna do on your Chromebook. [Handy conversion chart, IMO.]
• Speaking of Chrome [as in the operating system], Chrome 32 launches with a whole bunch of new features, according to TechCrunch.]
• And then Google launched a new activity stream in Google Drive that tells collaborators all about the activity that's been going on in their shared Google Drive folders/files. [Handy. And dandy.]

• Genealogy Trails volunteer contributors uploaded various records and information for Pearl River County, Mississippi; Lawrence County, Arkansas; and Greene County, Arkansas.
• And USGenWeb volunteer contributors uploaded 167 files yesterday for various counties in the following US states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia.

• Did you miss the 10 genealogy things you needed to know yesterday?
• Here's what to pack for Rootstech 2014. Can you add anything else?
• And here are 10 steps to fix that online family tree you started.

Happy Researching!
~Caroline
© Copyright 2014 4YourFamilyStory.com -- All Rights Reserved.

The annual Rootstech 2014 Conference is quickly approaching, and I am getting very excited!! How about you?

And I'm also wondering what I'm going to pack for February in Salt Lake City, Utah. Are you? Well, I thought I'd put together a list [I seem to like those, no?] of what some Geneabloggers have written before on what they packed or what you and I should pack. And some were written after the conference giving a good perspective on what they'd learned on what to bring and what not to bring. [Most are from years past. Also, keep in mind last year's Rootstech 2013 was in March, but Rootstech 2012 was in February.]

Then I added a few items from my experience. And then I added some handy dandy Rootstech links for you at the end. So here goes...

• Prepare Before Attending a Genealogy Conference [Sue on Granite Genealogy]
• On the Road to Rootstech 2012! [Liz on The Ancestral Archaeologist]
• Preparing for Rootstech 2012 [Elyse's Genealogy Blog]
• Road Trip to Rootstech - The Countdown Begins [Lynn on The Armchair Genealogist]
• Six Lessons from Rootstech 2012 [Nancy on Gathering Stories]
• Rootstech - the first day dawns [Audrey on The Family Recorder]
• Discoveries from Rootstech 2013 [Heather on Nutfield Genealogy]
• Rootstech 2013: Did I pass? [Nancy on Gathering Stories]

• Portable battery charger. I have the IO GearPower Ultra-Capacity Mobile Power one. It has 2 USB ports with 1A & 2.1A so I can charge up my iPad too. But? Here's a recent review of portable battery chargers on TechRadar.
• Portable Surge Protector. If you have a lot of tech stuff that needs to charge overnight [and especially if you're rooming with someone else], these little guys come in handy because there is never enough outlets in the hotel rooms. I have a Belkin Surge Plus 3 Outlet Mini Travel Swivel  Charger Surge Protector with 2 USB ports that I bought on Amazon. [That, BTW, is NOT an affiliate link, but it is a link to the one I bought on Amazon.]
• Different Bag. I know everyone mentioned it in their blog posts above, but I cannot stress this enough. There will be a gazillion people there who have all been given the same bag as you at registration. You definitely want to stand out in the crowd when it comes to the bag you use to carry your stuff around in. [Use the awesome one you get, though, at a different conference and at libraries, courthouses, and archives. Oh my!]
• Social Media Avatar. I'm terrible with names, but pretty good with faces. [Unless you're like Kathleen Brandt and change your hair up on me daily. I think she does that on purpose.] Oh, and I'm terrible with names unless you're dead. Then, I'll remember everything about you. [Funny but true.] SO help me and others out. Print a small version of the social media avatar that you use and attach it [somehow] to your name tag that you'll get at registration. This way people you've "met" and networked with online can easily recognize you. Why not you're photo? Well, because if your avatar on Facebook is usually a pic of your cat or dog, then a pic of you is not going to do anyone any favors. 

• Here's the weather forecast for Salt Lake City, Utah, in February on AccuWeather.com
• Map of Salt Lake City, Utah, from Google Maps.
• RootsTech2014 iOS App
• Rootstech Android App
• Rootstech 2014 Registration
• Rootstech 2014 Schedule
• Rootstech ExpoHall
• Salt Palace Convention Center Map & Venue Information
• Rootstech Facebook Page
• Rootstech on Twitter [@RootstechConf]
• The Official Rootstech 2014 Flipboard Magazine

What would you add? Let everyone know in comments below.

Happy Researching [and Packing]!
~Caroline
© Copyright 2014 4YourFamilyStory.com -- All Rights Reserved.