REDLANDS-YUCAIPA
MULTI – STAKE
FAMILYSEARCH
CENTER
E-NEWSLETTER
Vol. 10, No. 11 November 2010
Phone Number: 909-794-3844. Located at 5th and Wabash in Redlands.
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday—9:00 to 1:00 Tuesday and Wednesday Night—6:00-9:00pm
Closed Sunday Nights except the 4th Sunday before the Research Class
The center will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday-Nov. 23-30

COMING EVENTS
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010 Ancestry Novemberfest Seminar 9:00am - 12:30pm (registration at 8:30am) Redlands/Yucaipa FHC - 350 Wabash Ave, Redlands A variety of professional genealogists covering a wide range of topics including learning to use Ancestry.com, how to research your ancestry in Mexico, Ireland, Italy, France, Poland, Scandinavia and Russia; American Indian research, using census records and much more.
Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010 Yucaipa Valley Genealogical Society at Citi Bank 34580 Yucaipa Blvd. 12 noon to 3pm
Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010 – Family History Research Class in the Redlands Stake Center High Council Room. 7:00pm Subject: “Creating and Sharing Family Histories” Presenter: Marilyn Harrison

A Heartfelt Thank You to Dianna Rounds
Dianna has served as the Yucaipa Director for the Family History Center for 12 years. She has recently been released but will continue on ordering the microfilms and working on Wednesday mornings. She has done much for our center and has become a very fine genealogist. We love her and wish her the very best of everything.

A NEW DIRECTOR FOR YUCAIPA STAKE AND A NEW NAME FOR THE CENTER
Leslie Johnson was called to be the new Yucaipa Stake FSC Director. She is very knowledgeable on genealogy and will do a fine job. Her email is lesliebj@gmail.com
Family History Center names have been changed to FamilySearch Centers. The vision of the FamilySearch Center in the Community is spectacular and will change the way we all work in the Center. The implementation of this vision will improve our image in the community and enhance our public relations program in a wonderful way.
From FamilySearch

BYUTV to air “A Celebration of Family History”
This month BYUTV invites you to accelerate your curiosity for your ancestors with these special broadcasts that are sure to inspire you and draw your heart toward the stories of the past.
Tuesday, Nov.2, at 8pm
Saturday, Nov. 6, at 9pm
Tuesday, Nov. 9, at noon and 6pm
Sunday, Nov 28, at 5pm

FAMILY SEARCH UPDATES
FamilySearch Beta is being looked at and used. On September 14, 2010 they had 29,468 visitors from 17 countries. Enhancements are continuing and in particular the Family History Library Catalog is being re-designed to include drop down boxes which will enhance your search experience. All is on target to present to the Genealogical Community an early Christmas present consisting of the merging of Family Search and FamilySearch Beta. In the mean time help is needed: (1) Go often to the FamilySearch Beta site and look around. Click the brown "Feedback" button and tell the how they are doing. (2) Follow the FamilySearch Beta Blog (top menu on home page screen), https://beta.familysearch.org/ and learn and see the new updates to the web site. (3) Tell others about the site. This will be the future home of FamilySearch.org
In May 2010 eleven of the world's leading archivist accepted the invitation to meet with FamilySearch. Three very valuable pieces of information was gleaned from the meeting: (1) Each of these archivist's feel pressure to digitize their collections but feel under funded and feel they don't have the expertise to do it. (2) They feel FamilySearch is their leading alternative in solving his problem, which is why they came to Salt Lake. (3) However, for FamilySearch to do business with them - the archivist must maintain control of their records. As a result ~ Family Search is working out ways to satisfy the needs of all and work will be done to make these indexes available.
At the FGS conference in Knoxville, TN last month FamilySearch focused on creating relationships with Genealogical Societies. They met with officers of leading Historical Societies and showed the kind of work FamilySearch has been doing in the Untied States with societies. As a result work is being done to digitize and make available to the world via the internet the mortuary records from the pre 1906 San Francisco Fire. All records were lost in this fire.
BRANCHING OUT
Nathan Murphy a research consultant in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City was given the assignment to improve the FamilySearch Wiki content for Tennessee. He reached out into the community and asked many to contribute. The Tennessee Wiki went from 1 guide and 40 pages for the whole state to 95 guides, one for each county, and 1,000 Wiki pages to become the 2nd most visited Wiki page on the Wiki. Since the NGS Conference, attended by over 20,000 people - the largest Genealogical Conference ever held - Wiki traffic has increased 10% and a 75% increase in the number of Wiki contributors. All of this because of Nathan’s willingness to branch out into the Community and ask for help. Because of the success of this great effort FamilySearch is introducing the Branch Out Into The Community Program for Wards and Stakes. Here is the program:
The joy of family history is very real. We know that it can change lives of families and individuals. As the Family History Department strives to increase participation throughout the Church worldwide we often get asked, “What are others doing? Do you have examples?” While we do have some success stories and examples, we want to try to encourage success on a much larger scale. You can help as we try to establish family history catalysts in every unit of the Church.
Here is what you can do: (1.) Tell us about programs or activities that have worked in your ward or stake to increase participation in family history. Did your youth hold a family history week? Is your bishop calling indexing specialists? If you have a strong level of family history activity in your ward or stake, we want to know why you think it is so strong.
(2.) Are you just now implementing something new? We want to know what is planned for your wards or stakes. It may not be a success story yet, but you think it will be shortly. Tell us about approved plans that are in the early stage of execution or that will be started shortly. This will help us observe from start to finish.
(3.) Each of you has a calling, whether that is in family history or in another auxiliary like Primary, working with the youth, or in Relief Society. As you have pondered how to help those under your stewardship become more engaged, what ideas have you come up with? Please share them. Maybe we can help incubate them into something that could benefit more than just your ward.
(4.) Finally, are you in a position where you would be willing to help? Are you a bishop or a priesthood or auxiliary leader with a desire to try something out that could bless the lives of the saints under your stewardship? Would you be willing to work with the Family History Department Marketing Division to try new programs or activities in coordination with your priesthood leaders?
You may fit into any or all of the above categories. Send an e-mail to branchout@familysearch.org and let us know into which of these categories you fall, give us details, and how you would be willing to help. For the first 50 of those who fit into the first three categories we will provide a thank you Branch Out t-shirt.
Thank you for your diligence in family history efforts. We look forward to branching out with you! The Family History Marketing Division Thanks to Elder Mick Altmyer, World Wide Support Missionary
Los Angeles Family History Library Announces Reopening
Please come for the grand reopening of the Los Angeles Family History Library: Saturday, November 6, 2010 -9:00 a.m.–9: 00 p.m., with special tours at 12:00 noon, 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. Sunday, November 7, 2010 3:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Those who come to the open house will be able to attend some of the free 20-minute miniclasses, the schedule for which will be posted before the open house on the library’s website at www.lafhl.org. The library will not be available for research during the open house. During the open house, you will be introduced to our newly renovated and enhanced library, which includes:
· State-of-the-art technology: High-speed Internet, new updated computers, and virtual teaching classrooms facilitate genealogical research that cannot be accessed at smaller family history centers.
· Large collection of resources: Microfilms and fiches, books, and free use of fee-based websites such as Ancestry.com.
· Video conferencing: The computer laboratory is uniquely designed to support video conferencing technology. As a result, classes originating from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City or the Riverton FamilySearch Library and facility can be taught real time at the Los Angeles Family History Library. Conversely, programming may originate from Los Angeles and be distributed to distant family history libraries.
· Classroom facilities: Two large new classrooms will be used for training and for beginning, intermediate, and advanced family history courses that teach the most current family history research methods.
The Saturday tours start with a special presentation followed by time for questions and answers. All who attend the open house are invited to participate in the tours, but they are geared especially for priesthood leaders, family history center directors, and family history consultants.

NEHGS LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE: AmericanAncestors.org
Author: NEHGS
Boston, MA - August 19, 2010 - D. Brenton Simons, President and CEO of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), announced the launch of http://americanancestors.org/home.html , the organization's new website that will serve as the home of its growing regional and national genealogical sources. AmericanAncestors.org will contain all of the Society's New England and New York content, features, articles, and resources, as well as weekly updates and databases in a variety of regional and ethnic specialties, such as sources for mid-Atlantic, Irish, and African American research.

Allen County Public Library Launches New Genealogy Site
One of FamilySearch's valued affiliates, the Allen County Public Library, has launched a new website. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, facility has an excellent genealogy center and now you can access some of the library's helpful resources from the comfort of your own home.
For more information, visit:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/allen-county-library-launches-genealo...
The new web site, located at www.genealogycenter.org, includes several free databases and portals including the African American Gateway, Family Bible Records and Our Military Heritage that have been developed by the Genealogy Center.

The Genealogy Center’s website includes other resources, including full-text books that have been digitized by Internet Archives, the Center’s Pathfinders to various areas of research, and the Community Album, a collection of historical photographs for the surrounding area.

French Genealogy Records Online
Dave Velten sent a note after reading some earlier articles in this newsletter about various online collections of genealogy records. Dave writes: Along the theme of accessing digitized records online, some of the French archives are scanning and placing civil and church records online, for free. Check out the Bas-Rhin archives at http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/ and the Haut-Rhin archives at http://www.archives.cg68.fr/Services_Actes_Civils.aspx. They each have different interfaces you have to learn to drive, but it's pretty cool and and no need to order and wait for a film at the FHC.
Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

FamilyLink’s Facebook Application, We’re Related, Gets a Facelift
The following announcement was written by FamilyLink:
Provo, Utah — FamilyLink, the largest family social networking website with more than 50 million users, is re-launching its We’re Related Facebook application. This application is one of the top family applications on Facebook, and allows users to find and connect with their relatives.
The We’re Related application is an all-inclusive tool to connect family members through family trees, family photos and family updates. The new edition incorporates many features of the previous version, but includes new features such as an improved relative suggestion tool and the ability to organize relatives on Facebook profiles with a drag and drop feature. It also allows users to categorize relatives by groups.
“With the new version of We’re Related, we listened to our users and gave them what they wanted,” said FamilyLink CEO Paul Allen. “This version allows users to filter photos to only show relatives, view photos with an auto thumbnail expander, and gives users the ability to find articles, photos and historical records of themselves and family members.”

For more information on FamilyLink’s new We’re Related app, visit the web at http://wererelated.familylink.com.

NOAA Releases Free Civil War Map Collection
Under the auspices of the NOAA is the Office of the Coast Survey, which president Thomas Jefferson established in 1807 to produce nautical charts that would provide for maritime safety, defense and the establishment of national boundaries. By the start of the Civil War, the Coast Survey was a leading scientific agency, charting coastlines and determining land elevations. It still surveys coasts and produces nautical charts today.

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in 2011, NOAA has gathered materials the Coast Survey prepared during the war years into a free, online collection called Charting a More Perfect Union.

The collection, which will help you visualize terrain, ports, and coasts as they were from 1861 to 1865, includes:
· 394 maps and nautical charts used for naval campaigns, and troop movements and battles. You can search the maps by keyword(s), state or region, year or chart number. If you click Search without entering terms, you’ll get a list of all the documents in the collection (not in alphabetical or chronological order).
· the Coast Survey publication Notes on the Coast, which aided Union forces in planning naval blockades. Browse Notes on the Coast here.
· annual report summaries by war-era Coast Survey Superintendent Alexander Bache. Download them by year using the links on the Charting a More Perfect Union home page.
Find more Civil War resources in our Civil War genealogy toolkit

Bits and Pieces
World Vital Records Top Databases
Social Security Death Index
Find A Grave
Ellis Island Passenger Arrival Records (1892 - 1924)
WWII Army Enlistment
Everton Pedigree Charts and Family Group Sheets
UK 1881 Census
Maine Marriage Records
Everton's Genealogical Helper
World Vital Records has some new databases. Go to http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/recentcontentlisting.aspx to view them

Nationwide Gravesite Locator - This US Department of Veterans' Affairs site lists
burials of military personnel and family members in US military cemeteries. Listings
date from the Revolutionary War to the present and usually include name, rank,
branch of service, and dates of birth and death.
http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1

Teaching the Next Generation - I have been holding weekly Boy Scout Genealogy Merit Badge nights at our FHC over the last month. I announce these at our District Round Table and have 3-5 boys and their parent come to the FHC for 3 hours each
time. During the 3 hour class we can cover all the requirements for the merit badge.
But the real benefit is when we let the boys go online to find records for their
ancestors. We talk about what the census record, marriage record, birth record, etc
tells them about their ancestor and occasionally we find out something real
interesting that the family didn't know. Last night we found a census record from
1870 listing a family’s property value at $10,500. That is pretty much for back then.
We were then able to find a biography for the family on Google Books (its always
good to check for county biographies for major landowners in the midwest). They
found new children who died early, immigration dates, marriage dates, etc, in just a
few minutes. The boys get interested and the parents return the next week. This is a
good opportunity for us to teach the next generation about research techniques in a
fun way that also allows them to progress in the ranks for Scouts. –
Miles Meyer, Jacksonville, FL, FHCNET 8/18/2010

Webinar on Searching Ancestry.com - This is an excellent way to learn some exciting ways to search for your ancestors on Ancestry.com more effectively. Go to http://www.ancestry.com Click on the Learning Center tab. Scroll down to "Getting the Most Out of Your Ancestry.com Subscription". Click the Watch Video button.

Requested Reprint
Church History Library and Archives The collections of the Church History Library and Archives contain materials chronicling the history of the Church from its beginning in 1830 to the present day. The collections contain manuscripts, books, Church records, photographs, oral histories, architectural drawings, pamphlets, newspapers, periodicals, maps, microforms, and audiovisual materials. The staff creates and maintains catalogs and indexes for accessing this wide variety of information.
Click on Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel (1847-1868) The most complete index of individuals and companies that crossed the plains to Utah between 1847 and 1868. Include transcribed excerpts from trail diaries, letters, and newspaper reports. http://lds.org/churchhistory/library/pioneercompanysearch/1,15773,3966-1,00.html
If you have questions, at the bottom of the screen is an “Ask a librarian” link.


Deadline for articles for the Newsletter.
Third Sunday of the Month
If you have experiences, pictures or genealogy news you would like to contribute to the newsletter, please contact the editor, Marilyn Harrison, at harrison.marilyn2@gmail.com OR 909-797-1429