Del's Genealogy Blog for 21 June 2013

NEW at BillionGraves: FamilySearch Tree Connect!

The following was recently announced by BillionGraves:

Hey BillionGravers,

Now you can connect all those images you upload on the BillionGraves site straight to FamilySearch with just the click of a button!

Simply go to the "Tools" tab on the BillionGraves site, and click "FamilySearch" from the dropdown menu and you can start connecting your family members' records (and any other records for that matter) to their FamilySearch records. You can also attach any record by clicking on "Link to Family Search" on any records page.

To see how it works, watch our introduction video or read more about it on the BillionGraves blog!

This is another way we are making the valuable records you contrubute to those people who need them. By connecting these records straight to their corresponding FamilySearch records, you will be helping people piece together their family stories faster and easier than ever before.

Thanks and happy hunting!
The BillionGraves Team

Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego June Program

This month's meeting of the CGSSD has been moved back a week due to the graduation at UCSD, where the society holds their meetings. The following has been announced as the program for tomorrow:

9:00 - SIG: DNA Genealogy with Corlee Morris

Discussion Group: “Best Practices in using Cloud Genealogy Applications”, moderator TBA

10:00 - Break
10:20 - Announcements followed by program: Backing Up Your Genealogy Data - Live Webinar by Thomas MacEntee

Apparently Thomas had a potential conflict that would have prevented him from giving the Webinar, so I volunteered to be the back-up speaker in case he could not make it.  I scrambled around the last few days and put together a Case Study on my O'Malley Brick Wall; but found out about     1 p.m.today that Thomas would be available.  Actually, I became much better organized in attacking my "brick wall" by putting the presentation together. I look forward to being able to do the presentation at a later time. 

Winning the Mocavo 2012 Mother's Day Contest

In 2012 Mocavo held a writing contest and the winner was awarded a two day trip to Boston and a consultation with their Chief Genealogist, Michael LeClerc.  Michael had only recently joined Mocavo, moving from the New England Historic Genealogical Society as their Chief Genealogist.  To win I wrote, in 1000 words or less, an essay about a woman who had played an important role in my life.  I wrote about my maternal grandmother, Mary (O'Malley) Dean.  Following the initial submission of essays, Mocavo selected about five as finalists.  The winner was then to be determined by votes by the public, with a limit on one vote per day per person.  The contest ran about five days as I recall.

I sent notices to almost everyone in my e-mail contact list encouraging them to vote and also called upon fellow members of the two Genealogical Societies in San Diego where I was a member.  I was in the lead most of the way; but the final day another competitor took a huge jump and I went to bed the final night believing I had been defeated.  However, a couple days later I was notified by Mocavo that I was the winner!  Apparently, some of the voting for the other competitor wasn't in accordance with the rules.  Anyhow, I was delighted; especially because I had planned to take my grandson to Annapolis the following month to attend a Water Polo Camp at the Naval Academy.  Mocavo was very quick to send me a check for my airfare and making reservations in Boston at the Parker House Hotel for two nights.  Thus, we flew to Baltimore, I dropped off Ryan the next day at Annapolis and headed for the Scranton area to do a couple days research and then on to Boston where I was to meet with Michael at the New England Historic Genealogical Society.  Following are some of the photos that I took in the Boston and Philadelphia area.  When I headed back to Annapolis, I stopped and spent a day doing research at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 

New England Historic Genealogical Society

Michael and I

I was pleasantly surprised that Michael essentially spent the entire day with me, advising me on how to work on the "Brick Wall" problem that I outlined to him.  He even took me to lunch.  It was a most enjoyable day.  I can't say that I have broken through the "Brick Wall"; but it is a tough one and he gave me some very sound advice.  

Adjacent is the Old State House, the site of the Boston Massacre.  Fortunately many of the historic sites of Boston as well as the New England Historic Genealogical Society building, were within easy walking distance of my hotel.  I was only about a block from the Boston Common.                                                              

                                              Historical Society of Pennsylvania