EOGN: Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

A Weekly Summary of Events and
Topics of Interest to Online Genealogists

Vol. 6 No. 38 – September 17, 2001

This newsletter was sponsored by Ancestry.com,
a leader in providing print and electronic
research information to genealogists.

To learn about Ancestry.com’s
state-of-the-art online genealogy databases
and other fine products,
visit the company’s three Internet properties,
MyFamily.com, Ancestry.com, and FamilyHistory.com

Copyright© 2001 by Richard W. Eastman. All rights reserved.

If you do contact any of the companies or societies mentioned in this newsletter, please tell them that you read about their services in this newsletter.

IN THIS ISSUE:

- A Memorial for the September 11 Victims
- FGS Conference in Davenport
- NGS Library’s Books to be Relocated
- Online Version of The Great Migration Begins has been Updated
- Family Tree Maker Version 9.0 Preview
- Create Your Own Web Server - Part II
- The Last Word
- Home Pages Highlighted

- A Memorial for the September 11 Victims

The events of this past week are almost too horrible to describe. It was a terrible day in the United States as well as for all civilized people around the globe. There is nothing that I can write about this act of war that has not already been written a thousand times before. However, I received an e-mail from Betty Schulz that fascinates me with its simplicity and appropriateness. I have not read anything else that sounds like Betty’s idea, so I will use this newsletter to "plant a few seeds" of thought.

Betty referred to my article last week, entitled "Reclaim Governors Island." Here is a brief excerpt from that article:

Governor’s Island in the harbor of New York City is up for grabs and could be sold to a private developer. In Colonial days the island was originally owned by New York State, but it was given to the Federal government in 1800 so that the government could build a fort there to defend the city. The risk of invasion by sea has since been reduced, and the fort was vacated decades ago. Now Congress has refused to return the island to New York State. Instead, it has dictated that the island be sold to the highest bidder. Many people object.

Last year, Gov. Pataki and other elected officials came up with a plan to redevelop Governor's Island for the people. There has been little progress. The federally owned island could be sold to the highest bidder in October and lost to the public forever. Many plans have been mentioned, including a casino or high-rise luxury apartments. Most of the rumored plans feature no more public access.

Here is the e-mail that Betty Schulz wrote:

I read your newsletter and thought that Governor's Island would make a wonderful place to memorialize yesterday's terrorizing events. As a people, right now we need somewhere peaceful to somehow figure out the whole mess that is unfolding.

The government already owns it, and it's a positive thing to work toward.

I agree. What better use for this small island in New York Harbor than to build a memorial to the thousands of people who died in this act of brutality? Governor's Island is close to the location where the largest number of people perished. It is in a location that millions of New York residents and visitors could easily access. It is land that is available today in an area where available land is almost impossible to find.

Betty Schulz and I both believe that Governor’s Island should become a memorial to the thousands of people who died at the hands of barbarians on September 11, 2001. I am sending the following e-mail to Governor Pataki of New York and to each of my Congressmen. If you think this is a good idea, I would strongly urge you to do the same.

Here is my letter to Governor George E. Pataki:

Sept. 17, 2001

Governor George E. Pataki
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

gov.pataki@chamber.state.ny.us

Dear Governor Pataki:

In these trying times following the deaths of thousands of people in New York and elsewhere on September 11, I know that you are very busy managing the state’s rescue and recovery activities. However, I am sure that both the State of New York and the U.S. Federal Government will deem it appropriate to construct a memorial to the people who perished on that day. I respectfully submit that Governor’s Island in New York Harbor would be an appropriate place for such a memorial. If you agree, immediate action is necessary.

Governor’s Island presently is for sale by the Federal Government and might even be sold to a private developer next month if action is not taken now. The federally owned island might be sold to the highest bidder in October and lost to the public forever. Many plans have been mentioned, including a casino or high-rise luxury apartments. Most of the rumored plans eliminate public access.

Governor's Island is close to the location where the largest number of people perished. Millions of New York residents and visitors could easily access this location. This land is available today in an area where land is at a premium. It could be a peaceful place where people could go to contemplate the horrors and the meanings of this month’s tragedy:, to remember those who lost their lives, to honor those who worked to save lives and recover the city, and to rekindle their own commitment to the preservation of our nation.

I strongly suggest the State of New York or the U.S. Federal Government or both construct an appropriate memorial on Governor’s Island.

Regards,

Richard W. Eastman

I am sending similar letters to the two Senators from my state as well as to all the Members of the House of Representatives from my state. I will change a few words in the above letter, but all of the letters will be similar.

If you agree with me and would like to support this effort, please call, send mail or send e-mail to your Senators and your Members of Congress, as well as to Governor Pataki. Please feel free to cut-and-paste words from my letter, if you wish. However, I would suggest that you also add a few words of your own to each e-mail or letter you send.

Thank you, Betty Schulz, for this excellent suggestion.

- FGS Conference in Davenport

The Federation of Genealogical Societies wrapped up their annual conference on Saturday, September 15. Last week I wrote, "I will be traveling this week to the annual conference of the Federation of Genealogical Societies." I also planned to give one talk while there. Unfortunately, that never happened. I had planned to fly to Iowa early in the morning of Wednesday, September 12. However, all air traffic in the United States was grounded on September 11, shortly after the terrorist attacks. The airports in my area did not re-open until the morning of September 15, the last day of the conference. Even then, only a limited number of flights left on time. I stayed at home.

The conference organizers elected to go ahead with the FGS conference. I am sure that must have been a difficult decision under the circumstances. The following was written by Paula & Jim Warren, Co-Chairs, FGS/Quad Cities Conference 2001:

The spirit at this conference was moving. The RiverCenter strategically placed a television near Registration and many people huddled around it throughout the week. These genealogists needed to be together with friends, both old and new. The togetherness, the groups singing patriotic songs, the tears, the laughter, the prayers, the hugs -- all told us that the right decision was made to continue the conference. There were already about 600 folks here on Tuesday who couldn't get home. There was much extra work to do in order to replace speakers, prepare new talks, get out a daily newsletter update, coordinate alternative travel and arrivals, juggle hotel reservations, change room signage, etc. So many wonderful people pitched in. It seemed to give them something to do this past week.

The local volunteers with assistance from many others helped to pull this all together and it went off quite close to the plan.

Our final figure looks to be about 1450 people on site plus vendor helpers and some other volunteers. Still a bit of accounting to do, though. We thank all of our supporters, those here, and those who tried so hard to join us. You WERE and are still a very important part of this conference, and we hope that the prayers and spirit that went out from Quad Cities to you throughout the week is still with you. 

I cannot report personally on the results, but a number of conference attendees sent e-mails to me from the conference. They reported that most of the sessions went on as planned. A number of the speakers, including myself, were unable to make new travel arrangements and became "no shows." A few sessions were canceled, a few others had substitute presenters, and at least a couple of scheduled presentations were converted into roundtable discussions.

The attendees who wrote to me this week said that they felt the conference was successful. The Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Blackhawk Genealogical Society of Rock Island & Mercer Counties, Illinois, and the Scott County, Iowa Genealogical Society are all to be congratulated for pulling off a very good conference under difficult conditions.

- NGS Library’s Books To Be Relocated

Good news for genealogists outside of the Washington, D.C. area: The U.S. National Genealogical Society is moving its library books to the St. Louis County (Missouri) Library. This is a rather drastic move but one that will dramatically increase the availability of the books.

In the past, the National Genealogical Society’s books were available by in-person visit or by mail to NGS members. The St. Louis County Library will do the same but also will make the books available by Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Interlibrary Loan charges are generally lower than the NGS’ circulating library charges. Also, one doesn’t need to be an NGS member in order to obtain books via Interlibrary Loan. The end result will be that many more genealogists will have access to these books than ever before.

The change was the result of a near unanimous vote by the NGS Council (one member dissenting) that was announced at the Federation of Genealogical Society meeting in Iowa.

A few items will not be transferred to the St. Louis County Library, including:

• Bible Collection
• American Medical Association's Deceased Doctors Card File
• Member Ancestor Charts (now being indexed by volunteers)
• Germans to America collection
• Hall of Fame material
• Rare books (old or brittle, limited editions, books with high used-book market value that did not circulate)
• Manuscript and Reference Collections

On November 5, 2001, most of the 17,000+ volumes of the library that formerly circulated to walk-in patrons and Library Loan users will be shipped to the St. Louis County Library and housed there permanently, to be available to the general public. The NGS book collection was donated, not sold, to St. Louis Public Library under provisions of a mutual agreement.

The agreement with the St. Louis County Library provides that they will make the books acquired from NGS available to the general public through Interlibrary Loan. This means that the cost of ordering and delivering the books to patrons may be lower than NGS' past library loan charges to members, but patrons' use of the books will be subject to the receiving libraries' policies regarding patron use of Interlibrary Loan materials.

The agreement also provides that NGS has 10 years in which to repatriate its collection from St. Louis County Library if NGS pays for handling and shipment.

There have been some negative remarks about the move on the various message boards in the past few days, which is surprising to me. Certainly the moving of the books is a drawback to those living within easy driving distance to Arlington, Virginia. Those people will no longer be able to drive to the NGS Library to use the books. On the other hand, those in the St. Louis area will now be within driving distance of these resources. What’s more, with the new lending terms, genealogists in all other parts of the country will experience significantly improved ease of access to these books.

The St. Louis County Library also provides online information about books you have ordered and which ones you presently have checked out. The St. Louis County Library also has more services for those who are physically handicapped or housebound than the NGS did. For local users, the St. Louis County Library will be able to notify you via regular mail or by e-mail when materials are available for pick up.

This looks like a good move for genealogists all over the United States. The NGS library will be more easily available to all Americans and at a lower cost than before.

- Online Version of The Great Migration Begins Has Been Updated

Ancestry.com has announced an update to the online database, "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants To New England, 1620-33." This monumental reference now includes nearly one thousand sketches, each dedicated to a single immigrant or an immigrant family, arriving in New England between 1620 and 1633. Each sketch contains information on the immigrant's migration dates and patterns, on various biographical matters (including occupation, church membership, education, offices, and land holding), and on genealogical details (birth, death, marriages, children, and other associations by blood or marriage), along with detailed comments and discussion, and bibliographic information on the family. The latest update to this database has added 10 new sketches to this work.

Robert Charles Anderson is the author of "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-33, vols. 1-3," published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society in 1995 with further updates in the works. This is a monumental effort. I believe that, once completed, Anderson’s "Great Migration" series will become the best reference available for early New England genealogy and history studies. Volumes 1 through 3 are available online now at Ancestry.com. (The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634-1635, Volume I, A-B and volume II, C-F are also now available but only in printed form.)

I find the electronic version to be much more useful than the printed version, as it allows you to search ever word. To illustrate this point, I always look for references to my own surname when looking at early New England references. None of my Eastman ancestors are listed in the index of "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-33" since the first immigrant of that name arrived some time later. Therefore, I would expect volumes 1 through 3 to be of no use to me; however, I searched through the online database looking for all occurrences of the name Eastman and was surprised to find a reference. In this case, it was a listing of a land transaction in later years made by one of the early immigrants:

The reference of [NLR 2:98] points to Norfolk County Land Records, Volume 2, page 98. Now I know where to go to find the original record.

- Family Tree Maker Version 9.0 Preview

As mentioned before in this newsletter, Genealogy.com is about to ship version 9.0 of Family Tree Maker. Rick Roberts of The Global Gazette has written an excellent article that describes the new features available in the new release. He also provides in-depth descriptions of each of the new packages (Basic, Plus, Deluxe and Premier).

- Create Your Own Web Server - Part II

Lists of domain names and IP addresses are distributed throughout the Internet in a hierarchy of authority. You probably are using a DNS server belonging to your Internet provider. That DNS server only holds a fraction of the addresses (like a local telephone book), but it also has pointers to other DNS servers that hold more entries. If your Internet provider’s DNS server can map the domain names in your Internet requests to the corresponding IP addresses, it completes the job by itself. However, when it does not locate a name you entered, it forwards the request to other servers in the Internet.

It is possible to have your home Web server mapped into the Internet’s DNS servers so that you can be assigned a name that will be translated into a numeric IP address. A problem arises, however, because IP addresses on home computers normally change frequently. Ancestry.com has a permanent IP address of 216.10.103.21. Likewise, most corporations use permanent IP addresses.

Home computers normally do not have that luxury. As I wrote last week:

Your IP address is not under your control; your Internet provider assigns it. Keep in mind that your IP address may change often. Many Internet providers will change your IP address for you automatically every day or every week. Others may leave it alone. Also, every time you re-boot your system, you may be given a new IP address. Most Internet providers use dynamic IP addresses that can change on every re-boot.

You may have to tell your users about your new IP address every time it changes, not a convenient solution.

In order to obtain a domain name that is mapped to a changing IP address, you need to use a third-party service that provides DNS services. These companies will monitor your computer’s changing IP address and then map that address into their DNS servers, changing your IP address listing every time your computer gets a new IP address assigned. It really is simpler than it sounds.

DNS2GO has automated programs for Windows, Linux and FreeBSD. The company also offers a Web-based service that will work on Macintosh and other operating systems, although with reduced functionality. I will describe the Windows implementation although the Linux and FreeBSD versions reportedly are similar.

After signing up for DNS2GO’s free service, you must download a small program from DNS2GO’s Web site and install it. This program automatically loads when you boot your system and sits in your System Tray (the bar at the right-bottom of your screen). It monitors your Internet connection and your assigned IP address. Every time the IP address changes, this small program automatically notifies DNS2GO’s DNS servers of the change. The small program also polls DNS2GO’s DNS servers frequently to report that your system still is online and available. The DNS servers at DNS2GO will automatically map connection requests for your domain name into connection requests for your current IP address.

I have been using DNS2GO for about four months now and have found it to be very reliable. To my knowledge, it has always worked when anyone tried to connect to my home computer. While I have described DNS2GO for use with a Web server, it also works with FTP servers, e-mail servers, Internet gaming servers, video conferencing, and remote access. I use PC-Anywhere to connect to my home computer from my office or from hotel rooms when I am traveling. I simply tell the remote PC-Anywhere program to connect to roots.d2g.com. I can then operate my home computer as if I was seated in front of it, even though I may be thousands of miles away.

I hope these two articles have planted a few seeds in your imagination. Today’s technology allows you to easily make your home computer available online for others to use, for purposes of your choosing. After all, you are the system administrator. You choose who can access the system and what they can access. You can share as much or as little as you wish. I would suggest that sharing information online is an excellent use for your home computer.

- The Last Word

You really can have the last word. A new online service, FinalThoughts.com, provides a filing cabinet for an annual subscription fee. In this storage bin you can file unlimited e-mail messages for posthumous delivery. Your final words are then distributed when the person you designate authorizes the action with a prearranged password.

FinalThoughts.com suggests that you use these "final e-mails" to specify funeral arrangements, burial information, specify the location of your last will and testament, provide financial planning information for your heirs, and to also leave a final word of caring to loved ones. The company’s Web site also offers assistance with grief & loss, spirituality and more.

Personally, I think it would be a bit eerie to receive an e-mail from a recently departed loved one. Yet there is a practical side to the company’s services.

- Home Pages Highlighted

DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is being written and sent via e-mail at no charge. I expect to write one new issue on a more or less weekly basis. However, life sometimes interferes, and the need to earn a living may create an occasional delay.

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Many of the articles published in these newsletters contain quotes or references from others, especially from other Web sites, software users manuals, press releases and other public announcements. Any words in this newsletter attributed to another person or organization remain the copyrighted materials of the original author(s).

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The following article is from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2001 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author.

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