by Lisa Cooke | Aug 31, 2011 | Mobile
Hello readers, I’m Vienna Thomas from the Genealogy Gems team, and I have an exciting announcement to share. The iBooks store has just released Lisa’s book Genealogy Gems for the iPad, available for purchase for only $9.99!
We are really excited to be able to participate at such an early stage in this new technology that has already sold over one million devices across the country. So if you are a lucky owner of the iPad, be sure to download your copy of Genealogy Gems today!
I also want to remind everyone that the Genealogy Gems Podcast App is available for purchase in the iTunes store. This app brings the Genealogy Gems Podcast to your iPhone or iTouch, and gives you access to great bonus material. Go to the iTunes store and search “Genealogy Gems,” or click on the link here.
by Lisa Cooke | Apr 8, 2017 | 01 What's New, DIY Family History, Video
When I got up this morning, my mind was on getting up and out the door to my grandson Davy’s baseball game. But I couldn’t help but entertain this nagging feeling that there was something else special about this day.
In the car after the game, wind-swept and with a bit of powdered sugar on my blouse from the funnel cake Davy’s younger brother Joey and I shared, it dawned on me: today is Grandma’s birthday.
Grandma Burkett passed away over 31 years ago, and yet she’s always close with me. I feel her cheering me on in my genealogical searches, and reminding me that there is no contest between sleeping in and attending a grandchild’s baseball game. She was my role model for what a Grandma should be. Even though my grandchildren call me Sha Sha, I hope my grandkids feel my efforts and know that they are loved, as I was loved by her.
As Bill drove us back out to our home in the country, I pulled my phone out of my purse, and decided to create a video birthday card to Grandma.
(Full disclosure: I’m going to share with you my go-to tool of choice. Animoto is a sponsor of The Genealogy Gems Podcast, however, I personally use it because I think it’s fantastic.)
Animoto is my go-to tool of choice. With a tap of the app, I selected a theme and music that I thought would suit it nicely, (that’s the part that takes me the longest because I love their varied selection of tunes!).
Next I tapped to select about 14 photos sitting in my Dropbox account.
Then I added a title card at the beginning and the end, and tapped Preview. In about 30 seconds I had a finished video, complete with transitions perfectly timed to the music. One more tap of Save & Produce Video and my HD quality video was rendered so I could upload it to Facebook to share with my family and the world.
Then I quickly downloaded an HD copy for myself. The ability to download your HD quality video is one of the really unique features of Animoto, and one you should wholeheartedly take advantage of. Unless you have that copy saved to your own computer, (and OF COURSE your computer is backed up, right? If not, click here) you can never be sure that it won’t be lost over time.
There’s always enough to pay tribute to those who inspire us, particularly when creating videos like these is so fast and easy. Who inspires you? I would love to hear! Please leave your comment below.
Thank you Grandma!
Lisa
P.S. Mother’s Day is coming up. And that brings to mind another woman who inspires me, my daughter and mother-to-be, Vienna. I feel another video coming on! 😉
by Lisa Cooke | Jan 22, 2016 | 01 What's New, Records & databases
Here’s our weekly roundup of cool new genealogy records online. Should you search any of these: an 1831 England census substitute; parish records for Hertfordshire; images of French forts in North America; Michigan death records; outgoing passenger lists for the US and War of 1812 pension records?
ENGLAND 1831 CENSUS SUBSTITUTE. There’s a new 1831 census substitute database at Findmypast! England, Pollbooks and Directories 1830-1837 allows you to discover where your ancestors lived, how they earned a living and how they voted. This collection of assorted documents also plugs the important gap left by the lack of a complete 1831 census.”
ENGLAND PARISH REGISTERS. Findmypast now has a browsable collection of parish records for Hertfordshire. The collection spans 1538-1988: that’s 450 years and 1.9 million pages of baptisms, marriages and burials.
NEW FRANCE. Library & Archives Canada has published a new Flickr photo collection with images of North American forts built or captured by the French during the era of New France. It’s free to explore and the history is fascinating!
MICHIGAN DEATHS. A new collection of Michigan Death Records, 1857-1960 is available to Ancestry.com subscribers. Death registers and certificates contain varying amounts of genealogical information.
US TRAVELERS ABROAD. Ancestry.com has a new database of departing passengers and crew from various U.S. locations (1916-1962) by ship and air. These include military transports. “Details requested on the forms varied, but they typically include the name of the vessel, departure date, ports of departure and destination, shipmaster, full name, age, gender, physical description, military rank (if any), occupation, birthplace, citizen of what country, and residence.” Later documents may include visa or passport information.
WAR OF 1812 PENSIONS (US). Images of pension records for US soldiers with surnames beginning A-M have been posted on Fold3, where they are available to view for FREE. This is part of the ongoing Preserve the Pensions project led by the Federation of Genealogical Societies. Click here to learn more and contribute to funding for this crowd-sourced effort.
Looking for a specific type of record about your ancestor? Want to find more new genealogy records online yourself? Click here for step-by-step instructions on using Google to search for specific records.
by Lisa Cooke | Dec 18, 2015 | 01 What's New, Records & databases
Here’s our weekly roundup of new genealogy records online that caught our eye. This week there are a lot of US records: Alabama Episcopal church registers, Connecticut sourt records, Kansas probate records and New York Evening Post death notices. Immigration records for Brazil and Italian civil registrations are also on the list!
ALABAMA CHURCH. The Birmingham Public Library’s index to Alabama Episcopal Church registers (1832-1972) is now also searchable on Ancestry as a Web Index
(click here to learn about Ancestry Web Indexes). The index includes “confirmations, baptisms, marriages and burials for more than 14,000 people in sixteen Alabama parishes for the period of the 1830s to the 1970s.”
BRAZIL IMMIGRATION. Over 2.2 million indexed records have been added to a free FamilySearch collection of Brazil Rio de Janeiro Immigration Cards (1900-1965). These records, in Portuguese, “contains immigration cards issued by Brazilian buy tapeworm medication dogs consulates around the world. These cards were then presented at the port of entry by foreigners visiting or immigrating to Brazil through the port of Rio de Janeiro from 1900-1965.”
CONNECTICUT COURT. Over a quarter million indexed records have been added to FamilySearch’s free index to Connecticut District Court naturalizations (1851-1992)
ITALY CIVIL REGISTRATION. Nearly a quarter million indexed records have been added to FamilySearch’s free collection of Italian civil registrations for Taranto, 1809-1926.
KANSAS PROBATE. Ancestry’s collection of Kansas wills and probate records has been freshly updated. Kansas wills and probate records
The current database covers nearly two centuries (1803-1987) and covers at least some time periods in nearly half of Kansas’ 105 counties.
NEW YORK DEATHS. An index to over 100,000 death notices from the New York Evening Post (1801-1890) is now available to subscribers at AmericanAncestors.org. “Page images and an index searchable by first and last name, location, and year are included.”
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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