1000memories, founded in 2010, has a website where people can store and share digitized photos. Shoebox, the site’s accompanying mobile app for iPhone and Android, lets you use a cell phone camera to “scan” and upload documents to the site.

The app has been downloaded more than 500,000 times since its launch.

Ancestry.com has already begun incorporating the app into its services. To mark this announcement, 1000memories has launched a new version of ShoeBox for iOS (iPhones), enabling Ancestry.com members to post photos directly to ancestors profiles in their Ancestry.com member trees.

“This is the first step in a broader plan that will see tighter integration of the two services in the coming months,” according to Ancestry.com’s official press release.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012 11:55:31 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

Detailed logs are an important tool in organizing your genealogy research.

These Fall 2012 Virtual Genealogy Conference tips come from the video session "Research Logs for the Rest of Us," hosted by Thomas MacEntee.

• It's important to understand the "why" of using a research log. If you're using a log only because you know other people who are doing so, then you're wasting your time. Understand the benefits of tracking your research journey.
• Select a format that you will continue to use. For instance, it is a poor idea to start your research log in Excel if you don't like using spreadsheets. Use a format you are comfortable with. Otherwise you'll only frustrate yourself and abandon the log.
• Spend time setting up headings or categories. When you use a spreadsheet or table, take time to consider which headings to use. Don't be afraid to add or remove headings over time. It's only through constant use of the research log that you'll figure out the best headings for your research.
• Shoot for a "one pass" goal. When you find a record or piece of information, note all of the information as if you might never find it again. This means noting the date you found it, the type of record, and even whether you are transcribing or abstracting it. You're only kidding yourself if you say that you'll come back to it later.
• Maintaining a research log is a discipline. A discipline created through handwork, dedication and repetition until it becomes habit. Realize that you will make mistakes the first few entries, then you'll become better at entering information accurately and quickly.
• Source citations matter, but take a shortcut! Create a cheat sheet--a document or spreadsheet tab where you can keep the most commonly used source citation formats. Then you can copy and paste them over to your research log to fill in the blanks.

Ready to start your own research log? Click here to buy this video session and get started documenting your research today.

Video classes from our Virtual Genealogy Conferences are available in ShopFamilyTree.com. And mark your calendar now for our Winter 2013 Virtual Genealogy Conference, Feb. 22-24.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012 10:27:22 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• Got family who landed in Australia? This weekend, Ancestry.com.au (Ancestry.com's Australia site) is giving free access to its Australian Birth, Marriage and Death and Cemetery indexes, containing more than 17 million records of those who were born, married or died in Australia from 1788 until the early 20th century. The free period runs through Monday, Oct. 1, 11:59 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time on Monday 1 October, 2012 (that's 9:59 a.m. Monday EST in the United States). You'll need to set up a free registration with the site to search the records.
  

• Registration is open for FamilySearch's  2013 Rootstech genealogy conference, taking place March 21-23 in Salt Lake City. Organizers are planning for the 2013 conference to have a 40 percent larger exhibit hall and more classes, including a new track for those beginning their family history research. Registration fees range from $19 for a one-day pass to the Getting Started track ($39 for all three days) to a $149 early bird special (regularly $219) for a full three-day pass. Click here to register for the conference.
  

• A new tv series aiming to document American family heritage one family at a time is airing on some PBS stations this fall. You can preview the pilot episode of Our American Family, which documents a family of Mississippi tenant farmers, online, and apply to have your family featured on the show.
  

Friday, September 28, 2012 1:14:50 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• Chicago: The Newberry Library is holding presentations and genealogy workshops throughout the month, including free help with lookups in the Daughters of the American Revolution genealogy database on Oct. 26. See the library's list of Family History Month events here.

• Cincinnati: The public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County will hold a Day with the Experts on Saturday, Oct. 6, with genealogy tours, a Researching Your Civil War Online class, consultations with experts and a presentation on Cincinnati's legendary military officer Gen. William Haines Lytle. For more details, call (513) 369-6905 or email history@cincinnatilibrary.org.

• Conroe, Texas: The Montgomery County Library will have a Genealogy Basics Boot Camp Oct. 10, a Get Your research into Shape session on Oct. 20, and more. Here's the library's October events calendar; hover over a listing to learn more about it.

• Fort Myers, Fla.: The Fort Myers-Lee County Public Library is holding a Family History Month Series on Saturdays in October covering topics such as tracking your research, using courthouse records, finding censuses and substitutes and using immigration records. Click here to find out more.

• Fort Wayne, Ind.: Of course the biggest public genealogy library in the country, the Allen County Library, is celebrating with classes on cemetery research, state and regional research, census research, photograph analysis, brick wall research and more. The library's Genealogy Center also will have extended research hours on Oct. 26. Learn more and download a class schedule here.

• Oakland, Calif.: The African-American Genealogical Society of Northern California and the Oakland FamilySearch Center are holding a Black Family History Day Oct. 13 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the FamilySearch Center. Click here to learn more about the event (including how to register for a free family history consultation).

• Santa Barbara, Calif.: The Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society has classes all month long, including a Genealogy and DNA workshop (Oct. 5 at 10 a.m.) and Beginning Genealogy (Oct. 8 at 10 a.m.). Registration is required, with a fee for nonmembers. You also can go to free open houses on Sept. 30 and Oct. 13, 14, 20 and 27. To learn more, go to the society's website and click READ HERE to download a PDF listing the events.

• Tucson, Ariz.: The Pima County Genealogy Society and the Pima County Public Library are teaming up to offer family tree workshops at the library throughout October. See the dates and times here.

• Vermilion, Ohio: Ritter Public Library is holding genealogy classes on researching a house history (Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.), creating a computerized family photo project (Oct. 27 at 10 a.m.) and getting started (Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m.). Learn more on the library's blog.

Friday, September 28, 2012 12:02:45 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [2]

• what types of military records might exist for your ancestors and where to find them
  
• how to track down draft registrations (even if your ancestor never served)
• how to trace ancestors' service in the American Revolution, Civil War, World Wars and other US wars
• the best websites for finding military records, including Fold3, the Daughters of the American Revolution genealogy database and more

Thursday, September 27, 2012 9:59:22 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [3]

• Types of records you might find at a courthouse include civil and criminal court records, naturally, but also deeds and mortgages, tax lists,  county commissioner meeting minutes, vital records, business licenses, voter registrations, cattle brand registrations and more.

• But depending on the place your family lived, older records may have been turned over to a local or state archives, historical society or library. Check in advance before you plan a courthouse trip.

• "Keep in mind is that most of these facilities aren't really archives," Russell advised. "They're working offices trying to keep up with the day-to- day business of government. For the most part, they're not set up to do a lot of hand-holding." Find out as much as you can about the records you need—the date, a microfilm number or volume and page number, where they're located, etc.—before you go.
  
  
• More things to know before you go: Check online for courthouse hours, holiday schedules and access information. The court may have limited hours when staff will pull files. Some won't allow personal scanners or cameras. Different types of records might be in different buildings or rooms. The local genealogy librarian and genealogical society are good sources to ask ahead of time about courthouse quirks.
  

• See if the office holding the records you need has a busy season. Russell gave this example: "If the records you really want are the tax records, and the tax office's busy season is October, then going there in October just about guarantees that nobody is going to be available to help you—and they may not even allow record lookups at that time."

• One chat participant advises you to dress nicely—"so you look like you might be a lawyer or paralegal." And if you have allergies to dust or mold, bring medication.

• Look for an online or microfilmed index so you have all the volumes and page numbers you need in advance. Also see whether the Family History Library has microfilm of the records you need or even posted them online at FamilySearch.org.
  

• "Even 'burned counties' have some records," Russell said. "And don't forget many people re-recorded deeds, etc., after a courthouse fire."

Ready to head to the courthouse now? Click here to find out about our downloadable guide to researching in courthouse records, available in ShopFamilyTree.com.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 10:21:02 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• Here in Ohio, the 10-acre Fort Meigs, Ohio's War of 1812 Battlefield in Perrysburg, gives you a look inside the Buckeye State's role in the War of 1812.

• If an ancestor worked for the railroad, try the Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel and Museum in Tunnel Hill, Ga., where you can tour the South's oldest railroad tunnel, a museum and the 1848 Clisby Austin house.

• Out West in Nevada, you can step into your Silver State ancestors' shoes at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City, which features American Indian artifacts, fossils, a recreated ghost town and underground mine, and more.

• At the Western Heritage Center in Billings, Mont., you can see special exhibits on Montana Women at Work and how the railroad shaped Billings. One of the museum's galleries replicates a 1930s dude ranch lodge.

• Among the many historic sites in Vermont is Burlington's Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, where the home of the Green Mountain Boys' leader has been restored.
  
  
• If you're lucky enough to be in Washington, DC, participating museums include the National Archives Experience, Newseum and National Building Museum.
  

Monday, September 24, 2012 2:02:13 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• This week MyHeritage.com announced the launch of its automatic Record Matching premium service. The service automatically searches the 4 billion records on MyHeritage.com websites (which now include World Vital Records and FamilyLink) for matches to people in your MyHeritage family tree. MyHeritage users will receive weekly email updates of new Record Matches and can visit MyHeritage.com to review, filter, sort, confirm and reject matches.

On his Genea-Musings blog, Randy Seaver has some detailed posts about using Record Matching to find information.

• Genealogy search engine Mocavo has acquired ReadyMicro, a company that develops document digitization technology. On its blog, Mocavo says it's planning several exciting announcements in the coming weeks about offering searchable records and forming partnerships to digitize organizations' records "at a very low cost and even, in many cases, at no cost." Stay tuned ...
  
  
• British burial records site DeceasedOnline has added records from London's Charlton Cemetery, opened in 1855. Records include scans of burial registers and some photographs. You can see a list of all the cemeteries included on the site here. You can search the site and get basic search results free; purchase credits to view additional details and records.
  

• Don't forget to enter our giveaway for a year's subscription to our Family Tree eBooks website—it's a digital library of dozens of ebooks on genealogy, history, heirloom identification, sharing and preserving your family history, and more, plus many issues of Family Tree Magazine. Click here to enter by September 30!

Friday, September 21, 2012 2:27:33 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• Many of the common resources for Connecticut research have been published, transcribed, retranscribed, and republished in various formats, so always look for the original source of the information. In the webinar, we'll discuss key resources for tracing Connecticut families, including the Barbour and Hale records collections, which require a bit of sleuthing to use effectively.
  
  
• Connecticut keeps probate records by districts, rather than by counties or towns. But there's a quick way to search all of Connecticut's probate records through one central source! Tune in to the webinar to learn how.
  
  
• Connecticut's shared borders can cause dilemmas for genealogists. We'll talk briefly about the complexities surrounding the western border with New York and ideas for tracing Connecticut families who might've spent time in and around Dutchess County, NY.
  
  
• Subscribe to the Connecticut Society of Genealogists' quarterly The Connecticut Nutmegger. It'll keep you up to date on Connecticut resources and provide book reviews, record abstracts and other guidance.
  
  
• If you have a chance, visit the Connecticut State Library. Although many of its resources are on microfilm (much of it available through interlibrary loan or from the Family History Library), there's nothing like researching on-site and using resources in the original formats.

Thursday, September 20, 2012 10:31:28 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]