Saturday Shopping Around - Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness is back?

Editor's note: Today's posted by Sandra Gardner-Benward- information through Family Tree Magazine

Do you remember in past years there was a place on the web to go called

                                                                  "Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness" (RAK)

It was a great website to get help and to give help to other Family Researcher. It was created by Bridgett and Doc Schneider in 1999. It was created to bring together members of the genealogy community from all around the world. Unfortunately in 2011, the website went offline.  However, in tribute to Doc and Bridgett and the efforts of thousands of volunteers, Family Tree Magazine, a partner, was inspired to create a place for researchers to come together and collaborate.

It is an exciting time. Mocavo.com  is launching "Genealogy Karma" which is modeled after Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. If you are looking for records or photos from an ancestor who lived far away, they will connect you with volunteers who can do this researcxh for you in other cities. Likewise, if  you would like to give back and have a little time to donate, you can sign up as a volunteer.

When you get to the website it greets you with:

           Welcome to Genealogy Karma

We built Genealogy Karma to empower the Mocavo community and connect researchers around the country. Modeled after Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, we hope to give something back to our community. Please volunteer or request help from someone for projects like taking a photo of a headstone, or finding a document in a local library. Thank you!


TRY IT!! YOU MAY LIKE IT.............Genealogy Karma


Shop and Support Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.
Click here for details.

 

Friday Face's from the Past - Honor Veterans in ALL Wars

Editor's note: Today's post was compiled by Sandra Gardner-Benward


DID YOU KNOW.... May is Veteran's Poppy Month

The red poppy has become an international symbol of rememberance to honor all who have suffered in war. For the full story of Flanders Field and the red poppy visit Red Poppies  [story from Citrus Heights Messenger pg3 second edition for May2013]


DID YOU KNOW............ Memorial Day Service at Sylvan Cemetery                                     

Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. This day is often confused with Veterans Day which is observed on November 1 and celebrates the service of all U. S. military veterans.
Every year, Sylvan Cemetery in Citrus Heights honors those who gave their lives in the defense of their country. This year the Memorial Day service will be held on Monday May 27, 2013 at Sylvan Cemetery, 7401 Auburn Blvd, Citrus Heights. Beginning at 10:30am with a walk through the historical section- about 30 minutes ending at the gazebo where there will be a one hour ceremony. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate. [information from Sylvan Cemetery]


DID YOU KNOW........ Memorial Day, formerly known as Declaration Day, orginiated after the American Civil War in 1868 to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civel War. The end of May seemed to be appropriate since many spring flowers are available. By the 20th century Memorial Day has been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars in the past 236 years.


DID YOU KN OW- American Military Appreciation Month:

                                        Honoring your family that fought for their country

Four Web Sites Offering FREE ACCESS to Military Records for a Limited Time 
FindMyPast.com, MyHeritage and Ancestry.com are offering military records for free in honor of Memorial Day. Fold3 is making its just-completed US Colored Troops service records collection free to mark the USCT's sesquicentennial (150). 

Here is your opportunity to look through all types of military records for free at paid sites but it is for a limited time.

FindMyPast  free access to military records from May 23 - 27  MyHeritage  free access to military record collections till May 28      Ancestry.com  free access to military records till May 27    Fold3 US Colored Troops (USCT) service records collection is free to everyone till May 31      Make it a memorable Memorial Day    "All Gave Some; Some Gave All"

Shop and Support Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.

Click here for details.

Travel Tuesday - Where Now?

Editor's note: Today's post was written by Sandra Gardner Benward


One of the best genealogy conference's on the west coast (except for Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society's Spring Seminar)  is the Southern California Jamboree  held in Burbank CA.

Here's the math: 3 busy days + 50 nationally known speakers + 70 exhibitors + 150 class sessions = an event you just can't miss. Have dinner with the people behind "Who Do You Think You Are? and so much more.

This is their 44th annual Jamboree with a special pre-conference event of DNA presentations. WOW!! What a great opportunity!! This is the first independent DNA conference jointly produced by the Southern California Genealogical Society and the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG). Featured speakers are Spencer Wells, PhD. and Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Have lunch with Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

If you plan on attending, I need to remind you that advance registration ends MAY 24. The Jamboree is just 2 1/2 weeks away. Register Now Sign up for the blog and get all the latest information, updates, events and activities, bios on speakers, who will be in the exhibit hall ........ network.

Shop and Support Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.

Click here for details.

Military Monday for a BIG BONUS

Editor's note: Today's post was written by Sandra Gardner Benward - Big Thanks to Marsha McAlexander Wise for sharing this information.


As read in Dick Eastman's column  ......... FREE military records access on FindMyPast from May 23 to Memorial Day, May 27, 2013.

What a great opportunity to view these military records and experience a new (for you) website. See what you can find? Let me know what you found? Share your good fortune with all of us.

Shop and Support Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.

Click here for details.

 

 

 

Society Saturday – April 24 Reunion SIG Meeting

Editor's note: Today's post was written by Richard Hanson.

Last month's April 24 meeting of the Reunion SIG, consisting of two different presentations, addressed a variety of subjects pertaining to the Reunion software on the Macintosh. Unlike the more formal lecture format of the general meeting, this SIG meeting features a question and answer format that fosters a lot of discussion. Occasionally the discussion moves a bit further afield addressing general genealogical topics. For example, the second presentation at this meeting profiled the HistoryGeo.com website providing historical land ownership information.

April 24 meeting with Ron Setzer leading the discussion. Photo provided by Richard Hanson

Background: In 2011, a special interest group (SIG) was established by the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society for users of the genealogy database software package called Reunion. It meets 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every fourth Wednesday at the Sacramento FamilySearch Library. The next meeting is scheduled for May 22. Group leader is Ron Setzer. Email Ron if you'd like to be added to the group's email distribution list.

Shop and Support Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.
Click here for details.

Root Cellar's May 15 Workshop Meeting

Editor's note: Today's post was written by Richard Hanson.

Fifteen people attended yesterday's workshop meeting. Photo provided by Richard Hanson.

Chaired by Root Cellar President John Jay, the meeting started with John scheduling mini-presentations on source documentation support by genealogy database programs. One per meeting will be presented by volunteers over the next several months. A presentation on Flip-Pay will also be done. The remainder of the meeting was an open forum for questions, announcements and discussions. Topics included Lulu.com, poster-sized pedigree charts, DNA matching, Heritage Quest, "Family Tree" on HBO, some brick walls and the hazards of walking in a rural Pennsylvania cemetery. The person planning that trek received warnings about ticks and chiggers along with solutions involving wearing dog flea collars and putting cone collars around the ankles.

This Workshop is a small-group meeting of the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society. It meets 1 to 3 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month at Sylvan Community Center, 7521 Community Drive, Citrus Heights, California. It is a self-help group that addresses a wide variety of topics and frequently includes mini-presentations. Attendees are invited to describe their recent discoveries, successes and to seek help with their brick walls. The group leader is Root Cellar President John Jay. For meeting dates, see the events calendar on the Root Cellar website.

Shop and Support Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.
Click here for details.

Tech Tuesday – Calendar Juggling

Editor's note: Today's post was written by Richard Hanson.

When it comes to accurately documenting the comings and goings of our ancestors, nothing is simple – not even dates. That was aptly illustrated by John Jay's May 9 presentation described in yesterday's Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society blog. Not only have there been different calendars, but the Gregorian calendar in use today was adopted at different times in different locations. Historic calendars include Julian, French Republican, Hebrew, Islamic, Persian and Chinese.

General information about multiple calendars:

http://www.tondering.dk/claus/calendar.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar

http://www.answers.com/topic/gregorian-calendar

Calendar conversion calculators:

http://www.rosettacalendar.com

http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/calendar/

http://calendarhome.com/converter/

One issue that came up during the discussion was the extent to which our genealogy database software supports calendar conversions. I use the Reunion software (Macintosh). After researching this issue using their online help and support forums, I found that Reunion does not do calendar conversions. But it does support custom dates.

Reunion custom date entry box. Screen captured by Richard Hanson.

Reunion stores both the entered custom date and the corresponding Gregorian value. But many users say that there is a better approach. Enter the Gregorian value into the database date field. Then enter into the associated notes field the original unconverted date plus the name of the calendar.

Readers of this blog, do you know how your genealogy database software handles the multiple calendar problem? Please check your software's online help and post your results here as a comment.

Shop and Support Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.
Click here for details.