Blog

On August 3, 2021, Ancestry.com made a change to its terms of service. Most of us don’t comb through those long jargon-filled blocks of text and often we wouldn’t understand what they mean, anyway. Fortunately we have Judy Russell, aka The Legal Genealogist, to explain it for us:

In plain English, the rights to use that family photo you posted, that story you wrote and uploaded, that snippet of family history you’ve shared basically now belong to Ancestry. You can continue to use it elsewhere if you wish, since you’re still technically the owner, but you can’t do anything to stop Ancestry from using it any way it wants, forever.

For a look at what’s changed, and a fuller explanation of what it means for Ancestry users, visit The Legal Genealogist blog.

Our weekly roundup of upcoming genealogy events. Numerous associations offer online genealogy classes every week, many of them free. To register for an event below, click on the name of the host organization.

CONFERENCES and SEMINARS

August 1-5: 41st IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies)

August 2-6: “Researching Family in Pennsylvania” (Historical Society of Pennsylvania)

August 5, 12, 19: “The Transatlantic Slave Trade” (The Newberry)

August 6: “1821-2021: Two Hundred Years of Missouri Statehood” (Missouri State Genealogical Association)

CGS EVENTS:

ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY GENEALOGY CENTER

August 3: “New York State Censuses – You Won’t Believe What’s Hiding In There!” by Jeanette Sheliga

August 5: “Testing Your Relatives’ DNA: What You Can Learn” by Sara Allen

AMERICAN ANCESTORS

August 5: “Maiden Voyages: Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard Them” by Siân Evans

BYU FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY

August 4: “Using MyHeritage DNA for Segment Analysis.” with James Baker

FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY

August 4: “Jump-start Your German Research with Ortsfamilienbücher/Ortssippenbücher”

August 5: “Portuguese Immigration Patterns to the United States: 19th and 20th Centuries”

August 5: “United States Territorial and State Census Records:

August 7: Nordic Genealogy Day (Denmark, Finland, Norway)

LEGACY FAMILY TREE

August 3 & 4: “Burying the Body in England” by Helen V. Smith

August 6: “Freedmen’s Bureau Labor Contracts” by Bernice Bennett

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

August 7: “Jurisdictions Explained: Finding New Avenues of Research for Your Family” by Diana Elder

OTHER LISTINGS

>>Sutro Library’s BAY AREA GENEALOGY CALENDAR lists a wealth of Bay Area events and exhibits, including regular genealogical group meetings. This week’s highlights:

August 5: “Vallejo Neighborhoods” by Jim Kern

>>CONFERENCE KEEPER has a large calendar of classes (too many to list) hosted by genealogical organizations around the country and abroad. Lots to explore, and new events are added often, so be sure to browse the entire calendar. Here’s a sampling of the coming week’s offerings:

August 2: “Courthouses – Where Most Genealogical Problems are Solved” (Ozarks MO Genealogical Society)

August 3: “Networking for Genealogists” (Utah Genealogical Association)

August 4: “When We Were Slaves – The Extraordinary Journey of a Multi-Racial Jewish Family” (American Jewish Historical Society)

August 5: “Back to School: Making the Best of School Records” (Town & Country IL Public Library)

August 6: “To Common Defense: Military Records for Genealogical Research” (Library of Virginia)

August 7: “Preparing for the 1950 Census – What You Can Do Now” (Oregon Genealogical Society)

August 8: “Discovering Your Ancestors Using Genealogical Periodicals” (Brigham Young University Family History Library)

See our post “Genealogy Learning in the Time of Coronavirus” for links to classes archived online at Ancestry, FamilySearch, RootsTech, and more. Be well, stay safe, and happy learning!

Applied Genealogy co-founders Mary Kircher Roddy, Lisa Gorrell, and Jill Morelli

 

Three certified genealogists–Mary Kircher Roddy, Lisa Hork Gorrell and Jill Morelli –have joined forces to create a new online genealogy institute. The Applied Genealogy Institute (AppGen) is a practicum-based learning course in the tradition of the ProGen study groups, but smaller and more focused. It is the result of many discussions with emerging genealogical leaders regarding the type of education that is possible for busy but committed genealogists.

The institute launches this fall, with three courses to be offered in October/November of 2021:

1. “Irish Research” – instructor Mary Roddy, CG
2. “Land Research” – instructor Lisa Gorrell, CG
3. “Exploring Broad Context” – instructor Jill Morelli, CG

Do you best “Learn by Doing”? Do you want smaller classes that allow for significant class discussion and to receive responses to your assignments–all at an affordable price? Then the Applied Genealogy Institute is for you! Visit the website at https://appgen.institute and sign up for the mailing list to get in the opening window for registration.