by Lisa Cooke | Nov 25, 2013 | 01 What's New, Evernote, Gifts, Organization
Some genealogists–actually, most genealogists–need help being organized. These genealogy gift ideas are the perfect gift to give yourself: the gift of 
helping you keep track of your research, your sources and everything else in your family history world.
These ideas include those for gathering and organizing your research materials but also precious memories and original artifacts. When you shop, and click on the links from this post your purchases help support the free Genealogy Gems podcast. Thank you!
Evernote. Ok, this program is FREE so maybe it doesn’t count as a holiday gift. But sometimes the most important gifts we can give someone (including ourselves) are TIME and a FRESH START. That’s what you’ll give when you install Evernote on your computer or a loved one’s, then learn or teach someone how to use it.
Some of my most popular classes now are on how to harness Evernote to keep track of genealogy sources, online and print content, photos, research notes and all those other essential bits that can haunt you when you can’t put your hands on them. And all the options available for Evernote mean you can synch and access your stuff across several devices and computers: it’s available for Windows and Mac systems and there are apps for iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry. PRICE: Free.
Evernote Smart Notebook.
Even the most paper-free researchers still need to take handwritten notes sometimes. Make your notes easy to scan and integrate into your Evernote software with this notebook. The notebook paper is lightly gridded to make it easier to scan the pages nice and straight. But the real genius of this notebook is the accompanying “smart stickers” you can put on each page. These stickers have icons that become searchable digital tags when scanned. These tags make it easier to identify and synch your notes with other material you’ve tagged in Evernote (by surname, location, person’s name, etc). PRICE: $19.95.
Evernote for Windows for Genealogists Quick Reference Guide
This is my newest publication! Evernote users (and those who want to be) appreciate having an at-a-glance tutorial, tricks and shortcuts for using this free and essential software for genealogy. Evernote helps genealogists keep track of their source material–and my laminated Quick Reference Guide helps genealogists do it smarter and faster.
Price: $9.95
My Life & Times: A Guided Journal for Collecting Your Stories.
This gorgeously-designed book by Genealogy Gems Contributing Editor Sunny Morton helps the user capture their own life story or someone else’s. The book is organized into natural sections like childhood, family life, career, etc. Each section is filled with thoughtful memory-jogging questions about the past: relationships, events, growing experiences. A spiral-bound format with a bonus CD with extra printable pages makes the book flexible to anyone’s life: remove or add additional as needed to tell your unique story. The introduction and the beginning of each section offers compassionate and sound advice on topics like how to improve the quality of memories, understanding memories, what to do with difficult memories and more. PRICE: $29.99 (but last I checked it was on sale for $19.99 at Amazon the link above).
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Genealogy Gems!
by Lisa Cooke | Nov 24, 2013 | 01 What's New, Gifts, Inspiration, Video
Get ready to create some video magic this year!
I’ll bet you know a few folks on your gift-giving lists who would love nothing better than a truly geeky gift. If you didn’t see just the right item for them in yesterday’s post on iPads, tablets and accessory gifts, check out this one:
Camtasia software. I use this software constantly, and it’s a special favorite for screen-capturing my Google Earth Family History Tours. It’s great for anyone who is serious about putting together good-quality videos for family history or any other purpose. The product buy medication online singapore description says it all: “Camtasia empowers you to make amazing videos—even if you’ve never made one before. Record a video of your screen or bring in your own video footage. Then, use Camtasia’s drag-and-drop editor to easily create remarkable videos you can share with anyone. Keep your audience engaged by adding eye-catching animations, music, and captions in record time. With Camtasia, you’ll be able to produce stunning videos without being a professional video editor.” Click here to get Camtasia Studio 9.
Personally, I would get Camtasia and the AWESOME Snagit bundled: Camtasia Studio 9/Snagit Bundle
by Lisa Cooke | Nov 23, 2013 | 01 What's New, Gifts, Inspiration, iPad, Mobile, Technology, Travel
These days, genealogists can take all their research “to-go” on their iPad or tablet. Here are some of my favorite genealogy gift ideas that harness the power of portable computing and a Black Friday / Cyber Monday Special you won’t want to miss!
If you aren’t already using an iPad or tablet for genealogy, consider what it can do for you:
- keep your family tree and all your sources at your fingertips with tools like the Ancestry and RootsMagic apps;
- all kinds of imaging: document and photo scanning, microfilm imaging (right from the reader!) and a built-in regular and video camera for shots of relatives, tombstones, family artifacts and heritage sites;
- share cool finds on the spot–when great-grandpa comes up in conversation you can pull up his picture on the gorgeous tablet display;
- collaborate with other researchers with great free tools like online file sharing services such as Dropbox.com, and free video calls with Skype; etc.
- keep track of travel details, to-do lists and other needs (genealogy or not!) and MORE.
Now here are my gift picks, starting with the obvious: the iPad itself. To shop these items, please click on the links below so your purchases will help support the Genealogy Gems podcast. Thank you!
iPad 4 (with retina display, MD510LL/A, 16GB with Wifi, black). 5 MP forward- and rear-facing camera, a just-right-sized screen with gorgeous resolution, an HD video camera, plenty of storage for a portable device (with cloud storage, too, of course) and more. All this weighs in at less than 1.5 pounds, so it tucks easily in your messenger bag, backpack, purse, briefcase or even your laptop case. Click to get:Apple iPad with Retina Display MD510LL/A (16GB, Wi-Fi,) 
at a special discounted price.
The speaker on the iPad is fairly small and sometimes you just need to pump up the volume. Here’s the perfect, simple solution:
SoundBender 2.0 Easy-Fit Magnetic Sound Enhancer (for iPad 2, 3 and 4). This wireless sound amplifier is really cool and works great! I originally saw it on the TV show Shark Tank and bought one immediately. It magnetically secures to the side of your iPad and bends sound toward you for your music, videos, games, Facetime and of course your Genealogy Gems podcast episodes! Click to get: SoundBender 2.0 Easy-Fit Magnetic Sound Enhancer for iPad 2 & iPad 3 & iPad 4 
iPad Car Headrest/Mount/Holder (for iPad 1, 2, 3 and 4). My Grandsons LOVE this! Extra-long cable included. Turns your iPad into a backseat entertainment system. Perfect for watching movies, looking at pictures, playing games and more. Makes it more fun for non-researchers (adults and children!) to be along for the ride on those genealogy road trips and solves the problem of “who gets to play with the iPad.” Straps onto the headrest of the seat in front; extra-long cable extends 6.5 feet. Doesn’t require tools. Click to get: Ipad Car Headrest Mount Holder for Apple Ipads 1-4 Including Extra Long Cable
iPad Dashboard Car Mount. Use the vacuum base to safely secure your tablet onto the windshield. No messy adhesives! Makes it easier to consult online maps, recipes, weather apps and of course all those genealogy apps when you need to be hands-free. Use it to listen to the Genealogy Gems podcast while you work out, clean, sort files, cook and more! (Just don’t watch it while you’re driving!) Rotatable stand moves 180-degrees for comfortable positioning, Rotating ball joint ensures a perfectly angled display Click to get: SQdeal Universal Dashboard Car Mount Holder Cradle For Apple iPads 1 – 4 /iPad Mini
Learn how to get the most out of your iPad with my book, Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse. Learn how to think like an iPad/tablet user (it’s different than desktop computing). Discover everyday apps to help you with household, travel, business and other tasks. And of course, learn the myriad of ways you can harness the power of mobile computing for your genealogy. (Like all those ways mentioned above – imaging and document scanning and MORE.)
Between Black Friday (11/29/2013) and Cyber Monday (12/2/2013), you can purchase this book along with ALL my other books in special 40% 0ff bundles:
$29.95 for the e-book bundle
$49.95 for the print bundle
by Lisa Cooke | Nov 21, 2013 | 01 What's New, Book Club, Inspiration, Photographs, Research Skills, Technology
Ever wish there was a really easy directory for U.S. digital libraries and archives, organized by state with great commentary about the content? There 
is. But it’s not in a place most genealogists would look.
Open Education Database.org has a blog post called “250+ Killer Digital Libraries and Archives.” The post is a LONG annotated list of digital libraries and archives that don’t require library memberships, subscriptions, etc. to access. (In other words, open access.) It’s organized by U.S. state, so you can scroll down to the states of most interest to your research.
Digital archives and libraries give us remote, fingertip access to original and published materials we might never otherwise know about or be able to access. Look here for books, government documents, photographs, manuscript items, memorabilia, audio recordings and more. This is a great resource for genealogists. Click the link above to get all the info.
by Lisa Cooke | Nov 20, 2013 | 01 What's New, FamilySearch, Immigration
Nearly a million indexed records and images in the Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Immigration Cards, 1900-1965, collection are among newly-posted data in FamilySearch’s ever-growing free digital archive. The cards were issued by Brazilian consulates around the world and presented upon arrival in Brazil by visitors and immigrants. They contain the immigrant’s name, where he or she came from, the date and place of birth, and the parents’ names.
This is a pretty significant time period for Brazilian immigration. Brazil’s population was about 17.4 million in 1900–and it nearly doubled in the following two decades. By 1940, Brazil housed over 41 million people, and by 1960, over 70 million.
Most immigrants to Brazil since slavery was abolished in 1888 came from Italy, most significantly the areas of Vêneto, Campânia, Calabria, and Lombárdia. Germany and Japan sent their share of immigrants, too.
That’s not all that’s new on FamilySearch, though. Check out these other indexed and imaged records:
| Collection |
Indexed Records |
Digital Images |
Comments |
| Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Immigration Cards, 1900–1965 |
334,188 |
615,026 |
Added indexed records and images to an existing collection. |
| Canada Census, 1911 |
1,227,603 |
0 |
New indexed record collection. |
| Canada, Ontario, Toronto Trust Cemeteries, 1826–1989 |
96,228 |
0 |
Added indexed records to an existing collection. |
| England, Cheshire Non-conformist Records, 1671–1900 |
14,673 |
0 |
Added indexed records to an existing collection. |
| Hungary, Civil Registration, 1895–1980 |
0 |
40,475 |
Added images to an existing collection. |
| Indonesia, Jawa Tengah, Kebumen, Naturalization Records, 1951–2013 |
0 |
14,330 |
Added images to an existing collection. |
| Indonesia, Jawa Tengah, Wonogiri District Court Records, 1925–2013 |
0 |
137,465 |
Added images to an existing collection. |
| Italy, Trieste, Trieste, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1924–1939 |
0 |
97,505 |
Added images to an existing collection. |
| U.S., Indiana, Marriages, 1811–1959 |
468,724 |
0 |
Added indexed records to an existing collection. |
| U.S., Louisiana, New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1820–1945 |
51,232 |
0 |
Added indexed records to an existing collection. |
| U.S., North Carolina, Wilmington and Morehead City Passenger and Crew Lists, 1908–1958 |
88,345 |
0 |
Added indexed records to an existing collection. |
| United States Public Records Index |
132,330,416 |
0 |
Added indexed records to an existing collection. |
