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Genealogy Research Tips and
Sahyun Library Updates
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FamilySearch.org – Beyond the Records, World Tree, & Wiki
There’s a world of information to discover at FamilySearch.org that’s not just about the world tree, the wiki, or searching records. Take a virtual walking tour of the FamilySearch Library (FSL) and see the recent changes to each floor. There are two library catalogs. The original library catalog has not been updated since September 2022
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Canadian Research
For those of you researching ancestors in Canada this website Looking 4 Ancestors is a wealth of information. Click on the tab to request her research guide Sign up for her digital newsletter also to get new and useful information and news of upcoming webinars. Posted by Rosa Avolio – webmaster
Free Access and Offers for Labor Day Weekend
Free Access to AncestryDNA Shared Matches Tool Now through September 3rd, if you have a current Ancestry Membership and have taken an AncestryDNA test, you can try out Ancestry’s Pro Tools Shared Matches feature. Here’s how to access it. Go to your DNA Results Summary and click View DNA Matches. Click one of your DNA matches and then
Free Franceschi House Presentation TONIGHT!
SBCGS member Rick Closson is giving a free presentation TONIGHT about the Franceschi House. Rick’s presentation “will reveal a hidden story of the Franceschi House. It involves the arc of a man’s life from humble birth to fabulous wealth and enlightenment. Along the way are encounters with people whose historic names we still recognize.” Read
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School Is in Session
American Ancestors has dozens of previously recorded presentations available on-demand for FREE! All you need to do is create a free account (if you don’t already have one) and go to the video library. Each video is about one hour long. The video library list covers a variety of topics including interviews with authors, resources
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Do You Know . . . ?
You can search family history information for free in the online Family Bible database at Bible Rescue. Family Bibles can also be purchased so Bible Rescue can acquire more Bibles to catalog in their database. Each rescued bible is sent to FamilySearch for scanning and inclusion on their website. Search the Catalog using the keyword
Full text Search at Family Search
At RootsTech 2024, FamilySearch introduced to the public an experimental program using artificial intelligence to scan and transcribe a selection of records in the FamilySearch library. That experiment is available on the familysearch.org website with a free subscription. It is called Full-Text Search. The many facets of artificial intelligence for use in genealogy are advancing
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NARA Announces Extracted Text Feature
You can view and use the machine-generated (Optical Character Recognition or OCR) extracted text for many records in the NARA Catalog. The extracted text is far from perfect, especially handwritten text. NARA encourages users to submit corrections to any inaccurate text. Learn how to access, and optionally correct text on this page. Submitted by Robin
Do You Know About DP.LA?
DP.LA is the Digital Public Library of America. It is a collaboration with libraries and cultural organizations to provide digital collections from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions across the country in a one-stop discovery experience. These collections include family photographs, bibles, correspondence, oral histories, family history and genealogy books, and more. The Hathi
Tips for Newspaper Searching
Older newspapers often used the hyphen due to the limitations of fixed-width type, narrow columns, and to save space. According to the March 6, 2024 blog post from The Ancestor Hunt, “if you don’t search for the hyphenated words, you could lose up to 30% of the potential results.” If your ancestor’s name contains multiple
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50th Annual Old-Fashioned 4th of July at Stow House
Join the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society in celebrating the 50th Annual Old-Fashioned 4th of July at Stow House. Members will be present from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with computers to help people research their family histories. Enjoy fun family-friendly activities including tractor rides and face painting, listen to live music by The Cliffhangers
Free Occupation Record Searching
In honor of July 4th, Ancestry is providing free access to occupation records until 2 July 2024 at 7:00 a.m. PDT. See how your ancestors helped shape America. Details you can find with occupation records on Ancestry: Personal information such as name, age, address, and photos Industry and job details, salary, and hours worked Names
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Newspapers
Genealogists love newspapers, here’s a short list of sources for free access to newspapers. Chronicling America National Digital Newspaper Project part of the Library of Congress Individual state projects such as California and Colorado. Rosa Avolio – Webmaster
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Find A Grave
I recently watched a short Find a Grave video by Amy Johnson Crow. She offers some excellent tips for using Find A Grave. For information about her blog, podcast, and You Tube channel, see her website.
Ask the Archives
Exciting New Service: “Ask the Archives” Live Chat Launched by the US National Archives The US National Archives has introduced a new way to connect with their vast resources. Archivist of the United States, Colleen Shogan, announced the launch of “Ask the Archives” Live Chat. This service offers the public real-time assistance from National Archives
Google for newspapers?
Recently I was reading Family Tree Magazine’s newsletter: 15 Essential Google Tools for Genealogy Research. I was familiar with all until I got to number 10, now I knew Google had news items but I didn’t know they had a news archive! I suggest you add this to your list of sources for newspapers, it’s
Old-Fashioned 4th of July at Stow House
The Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society will have a table at the Stow House on the Rancho La Patera, located at 304 N. Los Carneros Road, on Thursday, July 4th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will have laptops with WiFi to help visitors find their ancestors and learn more about their family history.
AI Genealogy: The Basics and a Bit Beyond!
If you’re passionate about integrating AI into your genealogy research, do not miss out on the upcoming presentation by Steve Little, hosted by the Ventura County Genealogy Society. Titled “AI Genealogy: The Basics and a Bit Beyond!”, this session will offer invaluable insights from a leader in the field. Join Steve on Zoom and take
Ancestors West Summer Edition is Online
The Summer edition of Ancestors West is published and available to read and/or download on the Society Publications page. These great articles will motivate you to do further research, so you won’t want to miss them! Table of Contents 2 From the Editor By Charmien Carrier 3 Identity By Michel Cooper Nellis
Findmypast Commemorates D-Day
In recognition of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, almost all of Findmypast’s family tree hints, newspapers, and records are free to access starting today until Monday, June 10th at 2 a.m. PDT. The 1921 Census of England and Wales and Tree Search are not included. A free account is required to view records at Findmypast.