This week's news includes:Art Lassagne, founder of The Gold Bug (producer of AniMap software), died on 29 September 2008 at his home after a long battle with lung cancer; Ancestry.ca has published the Canadian Passenger Lists (1865-1935); the Godfrey Library (www.godfrey.org ) of Middletown, CT, announced that its product, the online American Genealogical Biographical Index (AGBI), will no longer be available at Ancestry.com after the end of this year, but it will be available at the Godfrey Library and at World Vital Records (www.worldvitalrecords.com ) beginning in January 2009; ...

I just love a picture with personality! This woman wears a velvet cape and a dark colored feather boa. Both would be perfect for going out in the 1890s. The hat on her head really stands out because it's suitable for sportswear. This c. 1897 accessory doesn't match the rest of her attire. Did the photographer dress her up or did she go to the studio that way. In either case, it's a lovely picture. Too bad the owner, Ann Short, doesn't know who this is. She thinks she's either a member of the Childs, Brewer, Easter, Simpson, Duncan or Wigginton family who lived in the southeastern U.S. ...

My Dad, James William Taylor, Jr., was a man of few words. When you’d ask him a direct question you’d rarely get a full answer. Towards the end of his life he spent a day mentioning 1943. I don't know why. He really didn’t want to talk about it. Like so many of his generation, Dad enlisted in the United States Army during World War II. From October 22, 1942 to February 5, 1946 he served his country as a member of Company D of the 389th Infantry regiment as a Heavy Machine Gunner. He spent 18 months in Hawaii and several more in Japan. As kids we heard about the geishas ...

I just love a story like this. Two brothers rediscover footage shot by their grandfather during World War II. The video story appeared on the MSNBC.com website today. Here it is.

A couple of weeks ago, I gave an Ancestry.com webinar on Saving Family Treasures and mentioned a ready-made photo studio. An attendee wrote to tell me that she saw this studio in a box advertised in a recent Brookstone catalog for $99. In case you're interested I also found it on the store's website. This is a great tool for photographing small artifacts at home. If you're handy, you can make one of these studios yourself. The directions are online at DIY Photography. The instructions seem fairly simple and there are photographs to help you see how the set-up works.

. Alexander Stille is one of my favorite writers. Here is a link to the first essay of his that I ever read. I discovered it while I was in grad school over a decade ago, and I never forgot it. It"s free to read, and I hope you enjoy it. Free Online Essay: Are We Losing Our Memory? Or The Museum of Obsolete Technology This essay comes from a collection called The Future of the Past. I devoured the entire book earlier this year and I can"t recommend it highly enough. It"s a fascinating look at the big picture of historic preservation. If you like the free essay in the link above, you"ll ...

SLAGIAT = "Seemed like a good idea at the time." In the past, conservators used poisons like cyanide and arsenic (!) to kill insects and other pests. Even though they didn"t always work. Eeeek. After apologizing for preaching to the converted, a conservator on a professional email list had this to say: More than one of the chemicals that were considered safe early in my career have been discredited because many existing "approved" fumigation facilities were, in fact, unsafe, because the chemicals affected the chemistry of objects over time, or because there is continued off gassing from ...

I have a weakness for obsolete technology in general, and typewriters in particular. This is a marvelous video about a small family owned business, remarkable customer service and (of course) clickety clack: Got a typewriter story or memory you"d like to share? Use the comments section!

. This video from UNC-Chapel Hill reveals a neat-o way to store fragile pamphlets upright on a book shelf. If you want to get fancy, you can scan the original cover and attach a printout to your new cover. You can even add an edge label so you will know the title without opening anything up. Why should you bother? Less Handling = Less Damage With this system, the pamphlet lives in a custom envelope, so it stays dust free. Why is it important to keep dust away? My years as an archivist and my former career in a used book store showed me that if you wait long enough? Dust turns into ...

This is an exciting week for family historians and genealogists in the Phoenix area as the 1st annual Mesa Arizona Family History Expo will start this Friday, November 14th. As a resident of Phoenix, I’ve thought for a long time that Arizona would be a great place to hold a family history conference (especially in the fall and winter months) and I am happy to see that one is coming. If all goes well this year, then we can look forward to the sponsors, Family History Expos.com , returning again for many years to come. On Friday and Saturday I will be attending classes and visiting ...

I was recently caught in a game of tag by: Sheri Fenley at The Educated Genealogist Donna Moughty on Donna’s Genealogy Blog Pat Richley on DearMYRTLE’s Genealogy Blog ***10 Years Ago I…….. Was the father of a toddler with another child on the way Wrote articles for Visual Basic Programmer’s Journal Was a fairly new resident of Arizona Drove a Ford Escort Had never been to the Grand Canyon ***5 Things on Today’s To-Do List…… Work on presentation for Mesa Family History Expo Write a blog post Recommend colleague on LinkedIn Finish ...

To All Genealogy Super Heroes: Since the 1940s and 50s, Superman has lead “a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way.” If Superman were a genealogist instead of a super hero what would he stand for? I think he would still stand for truth. After all, the Genealogical Proof Standard is intended to systematically get us as close to the truth as possible when conducting genealogy research. But what would the other 2 points be? Why do yo do family history? Can you summarize it in 3 main points? Here is my attempt: Truth, Preservation, and Connecting ...

This month the ProGen study groups studied a single topic: Time Management You can find this in Professional Genealogy in: Chapter 13 - Time Management by Patricia Law Hatcher, CG, FASG A key paragraph at the beginning of the chapter states: “Dozens of times each day we make decisions - consciously or unconsciously - to begin, continue, or terminate various activities. Many of the time management problems genealogists face do not have solutions, but if we recognize the problems, we can make more informed decisions.” The rest of the chapter identifies and discusses 10 ...