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Following in Family History Footsteps: Young Genealogist Scholarship Available
Do you know any young genealogists who would love to go to the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree? Encourage them to apply for a 0 cash award and free conference registration.
The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Grant Committee is now accepting applications for its 2013 Student Genealogy Grant. As they did last year, the SCGS Jamboree will provide the grant recipient with free three-day registration. Genealogists between the ages of 18 and 25 who have attended school in the last 12 months are eligible to apply. The recipient must attend the 2013 SCGS Jamboree in Burbank, California to receive the award.
I can tell you from personal experience that Jamboree is one of the family history world’s most fun educational experiences! It’s a perfect place for a young person to further his or her genealogical learning and make personal and professional connections that can last a lifetime
Complete details and application materials are available at The Family Curator. The application deadline is 18 March 2013 midnight PST. I hope you’ll forward this post to any young people who should apply!
Digitized War of 1812 Pension Files on Fold3
According to the National Archives, pension files for the War of 1812 rate among their most-requested materials. But the files haven’t been easy to use
General Andrew Jackson commands his troops during the Battle of New Orleans. (Credit: Library of Congress)
because they’re only at the National Archives–they haven’t been available in published, microfilmed or digitized form. You’ve either had to research the pension files onsite in Washington, D.C. or order copies from the Archives. Not exactly easy access.
This is about to change. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), The National Archives, Ancestry.com and Fold3.com are partners in a huge effort: to preserve and digitize 7.2 million pages of War of 1812 Pension Records and make them available for free online.
This mammoth undertaking commemorates the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, which has been called “America’s Second Revolution.” Many U.S. citizens joined the fight against the British Empire to permanently resolve issues the Revolutionary War was fought over. It’s a near-legendary era in U.S. history when “The Star Spangled Banner” was penned (during the defense of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry) and the White House was burned (during the only foreign occupation of Washington, D.C.).
The pension files are already being digitized, and completed images and their associated indexes are being posted incrementally. You can view them for free at Fold3.com. Follow the progress of this enormous undertaking at FGS’ Preserve the Pensions blog, where you’ll see updates and get inspired by research success stories. Commemorate the War of 1812’s anniversary yourself by looking here for any ancestors who may have served!
No More Whining About Brick Walls: King Richard III Remains Found
Just when we throw up our hands in frustration and declare that we will never find a particular ancestor, someone comes along and proves it possible.
King_Richard_III
Reuters is reporting that England’s King Richard III has been found after 500 years. “A skeleton with a cleaved skull and a curved spine entombed under a car park is that of Richard III, archaeologists said on Monday, solving a 500-year-old mystery about the final resting place of the last English king to die in battle…In one of the most significant archaeological finds of recent English history, a team from the University of Leicester said evidence showed a skeleton found last year in excavations of a mediaeval friary under a city car park was that of Richard.”
The physical evidence is compelling: The skeleton possesses a curved spine (which Shakespeare mocked him for), and multiple wounds attributed to battle.
Researchers at the University of Leicester sought to confirm the theory through DNA testing which included extracting DNA from the teeth and a bone for comparison with Michael Ibsen, a modern-day descendant of Richard III’s sister Anne of York. The results: A Match.
“The DNA remains points to these being the remains of Richard III,” University of Leicester genetics expert Turi King said during a press briefing.
The lesson is not that we as genealgoists need to start digging up parking lots, but rather “never give up, never surrender.” And where there is evidence, seek indisputable proof.
To learn more about the role that DNA played in this amazing discovery watch these videos
The Search for King Richard III – The Genealogy
The Search for King Richard III Identifying the Remains (Dr. Turi King)
