The following announcement was written by the (U.S.) National. Archives and Records Administration:

The Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3--which informed the people of Texas that all slaves in the state were free--will be on display at the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C. from Thursday, June 19, to Sunday, June 22, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. "The annual public exhibition of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and this important military order provides a regular opportunity to reinforce how America’s founding principles ultimately ended slavery, ” said Jim Byron, Senior Advisor to the Acting Archivist of the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 3, 1863. NAID: 299998 #ArchivesJuly4 in Washington, DC You're invited to gather at the National Archives in Washington, DC, on Friday, July 4, 2025, to celebrate the Fourth of July! Featuring a reading of the Declaration of Independence, special performances by military bands, and remarks by Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr., the longest held American Prisoner of War in the Vietnam War and soon-to-be recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal. All July 4th activities are free and open to the public, with fun activities for the whole family.  PLUS! The National Archives Museum will be open for extended hours from Thursday, July 3, through Saturday, July 5, from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. ET.  (Left) The National Archives in Washington, DC, celebrates Independence Day with a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 2019.  (Right) Screenshot of Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.) from a U.S. Navy Video through Wikimedia Commons More RFK Assassination Files Released On June 12, 2025, consistent with President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14176, the National Archives released an additional 9,653 pages of records related to the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. This includes 54 declassified documents from the Central Intelligence Agency, making 1,450 pages of available for the very first time.  The documents are now accessible online at archives.gov/rfk and cia.gov. Learn more about the CIA release from this press release. Stats from the Stacks There are less than four months left in fiscal year 2025! From October 2024 through May 2025, Presidential Libraries have welcomed over one million visitors, served 71,863 students and teachers in education programs, and hosted 43,554 participants at public programs. Plan your visit to a Presidential Library this summer! Top left: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York; top right: Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, Abilene, Kansas; bottom left: Lyndon Baines Johnson Library, Austin, Texas; bottom right: George W. Bush Library, Dallas, Texas.

The following is an announcement written by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David:

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is delighted to announce the launch of the Swansea Stained Glass Online Archive, a newly digitised and searchable collection of hundreds of stained glass panels created by students at Swansea College of Art over the past five decades.

The roots of stained glass teaching in Swansea date back to the 1930s and from the 1970s it exerted a transformational and international influence on its teaching and practice, as students from the local area and from far afield were attracted to study in the city.

New approaches to architectural stained glass being pioneered in Germany were encouraged by the leader of the course, Tim Lewis, in the 1970s and 1980s, and celebrated German artists were invited to teach at the college. This experimental environment nurtured artists who augmented traditional stained glass techniques with the new approaches necessary for the creation of large artistic works in glass for a wide range of buildings. From the 1970s, students from Swansea embarked on successful careers making a wide range of architectural stained glass for all kinds of buildings around the world.

The student panels held at Swansea College of Art form the most extensive collection relevant to the development of late twentieth-century architectural stained glass anywhere in Britain. Many of the hundreds of panels in the archive are from student exhibitions and competitions, including experimental early work by some of the leading artists working in stained glass over the last fifty years.

While some of the panels are occasionally exhibited and others are displayed in the college, many have not been seen for decades. Initial work on the archive, which also consists of works on stained glass cartoons and designs was undertaken by Marilyn Griffiths in the 2010s while she was lecturing at the college. 

Detailed cataloguing and photography of the stained glass panels was recently undertaken by artist and stained glass historian Martin Crampin (University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, Aberystwyth) and stained glass artist Christian Ryan (Swansea College of Art) in 2024–5, funded by the Colwinston Trust.

Martin Crampin said: “This archive celebrates the spirit of creativity and experimentation that defined the teaching of stained glass at Swansea. It demonstrates the passion and vision of staff and students at Swansea that shaped modern architectural stained glass in Britain. We’re delighted to make these fascinating works of art available for international researchers and the wider public.”

The Swansea Stained Glass Archive affirms UWTSD’s longstanding commitment to artistic innovation and historical preservation. It also recognises the importance of student work, not just as a learning exercise but as a genuine contribution to cultural heritage.

The searchable database is available at https://swansea.stainedglass.wales and more panels are still being added. Most of them are untitled, anonymous, and undated and additional information from former staff and students about would be gratefully received. Comments, corrections, and any further details can be submitted on the pages of the individual artworks.

After 40 years since Katharina Reitz Brow’s murder Massachusetts authorities have discovered who committed the 1980 cold case crime. Authorities revealed that Joseph Leo Boudreau who died after committing violent crimes murdered Katharina Reitz Brow.

DNA evidence finally freed Kenneth Waters after his wrongful 1983 conviction kept him in prison for two decades.

Katharina Brow's body which showed 30 stab wounds and beatings was discovered on May 21, 1980 in their trailer home in Ayer Massachusetts when she was 48 years old.

Massachusetts law enforcement has finally discovered the real murderer responsible for Katharina Reitz Brow's deadly 1980 cold case. The murder was committed by Joseph Leo Boudreau who had passed away and maintained a violent criminal background.

After spending 20 years in prison, Kenneth Waters was exonerated by DNA evidence for the crime he was wrongfully convicted of in 1983.

The attack occurred between 7: The murder took place between 7:10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. while her husband worked at his job. A search of the crime scene revealed evidence of a physical altercation along with the disappearance of her purse and the theft of hidden money from a linen closet. A knife used as a murder weapon remained hidden inside a wastebasket.

The shocking murder of Katharina Reitz Brow in 1980 devastated the Town of Ayer according to Police Chief Brian Gill.

Kenneth Waters received a murder conviction in 1983 because investigators found a bloodstain that corresponded with his blood type. Advanced DNA testing conducted in 2001 established Waters' innocence which resulted in his exoneration after twenty years of imprisonment.

The murder case stayed open for years after the initial conviction was overturned until forensic investigative genetic genealogy solved it in 2022. The DNA evidence examination led investigators to identify Boudreau, who had died in 2004, as the actual perpetrator. In 1975 Boudreau received a conviction for armed robbery.

District Attorney Marian Ryan said that our primary goal has always been to uncover answers regardless of the time that has passed. The family now has long-awaited clarity because we have identified her killer.

The authorities verified that Boudreau and Waters were not connected.

Modern forensics and genetic genealogy have produced a transformative outcome for cold cases through recent developments.
Chief Gill recognized that the case reached a turning point when investigators used forensic genetic genealogy DNA testing. I appreciate the opportunity to finally provide the Brow family with their long-awaited closure.

Boudreau can't face prosecution now that he's dead but discovering his identity ends the Brow family's painful struggle and exonerates the wrongfully accused man.

The following announcement wass written by the Board for Certification of Genealogists:

BCG today released the 2025 edition of The BCG Application Guide, which takes effect on 1 July 2025. Applicants who submit a preliminary application or extension after 30 June 2025 are subject to the new 2025 guide, as well as associates whose renewal applications are due after 30 June 2026. Applicants who are currently “on-the-clock” have the option to use the new two-part application process beginning 1 July 2025. This new guide does not affect those governed under the pilot program application guide.

The 2025 Application Guide is available at https://bcgcertification.org/images/files/BCG_Application_Guide-2025.pdf

The associated 2025 rubrics are available at https://bcgcertification.org/become-a-certified-genealogist#2025-new-application-rubrics.

BCG will present a webinar on the 2025 Application Guide on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, through Legacy Family Tree Webinars. The registration link will be forthcoming. 

General Updates
Descriptions for requirements have been modified in response to frequently asked questions. Appendices have been updated for the benefit of all applicants, and should be reviewed carefully. The new guide has links to the BCG website for rubrics and the policy on AI in portfolios.

Changes for New Applicants
The most significant change is that all new applicants will submit using the two-part portfolio process.  The preliminary application format and extensions for preliminary applicants remain unchanged. Portfolio elements will be submitted in two separate parts as defined by the guide. If Part 1 is successful, the applicant may submit the requirements for Part 2. 

Details on changes made to the individual portfolio requirements are listed below. The elements were renumbered to match the separation of the portfolio into two parts. Each part is limited to 75 digital pages. Client permissions and documentation to meet Standard 54 are exempt from the page count. Please read the new guide carefully for other changes.

Starting July 1, 2025, the fee for submitting a portfolio will be $400. This is the first time the fee for submitting a portfolio has been increased in 13 years. For the two-part application, the fee will be $200 for Part 1 and $200 for Part 2. The fee for preliminary applications and extensions has not changed.

Language throughout The BCG Application Guide has been clarified. Applicants should read the 2025 version carefully before applying.

These are some of the changes in the 2025 BCG Application Guide for new CG applications:

Code of Ethics

• ·         Adds three new bullet points in the section “To protect the client.”

Requirement Restrictions

• ·         Provides a link to the URL for the BCG policy on the use of artificial intelligence in new CG portfolios.
• ·         Clarifies that “a DNA test taker may appear in more than one work sample to provide evidence for different research subjects in distinct ancestral lines.”

Document Work

• ·         Adds a document citation as a specific requirement.

• ·         Separates analysis of information and evidence relevant to the research question from document reliability and context.

Kinship Determination Project

• ·         Requires a descending narrative lineage (not a narrative genealogy, a pedigree, or an ascending narrative lineage) and provides a numbering format (Appendix C).
• ·         Requires that the two required proof summaries and/or proof arguments be labeled.

Research Report

• ·         Requires that the report must demonstrate in-depth and skillful use of a range of sources. Advises that research sessions of less than twenty hours are unlikely to meet this requirement.
• ·         Revises the definition for “use a family other than your own or your spouse’s.” The research report may not be about your ancestors—biological or adoptive—your spouse’s ancestors, or siblings of any of these people.
• ·         Clarifies that images or other materials sent to the client using a digital-file sharing service should be included as part of the report sent to BCG and are included in the page count. Links to outside servers are not acceptable.

Case Study

• ·         Revises the definition of what qualifies as a case study: “Supply a case study (a stand-alone proof argument) drawn from your own research that (a) demonstrates application of the Genealogical Proof Standard and (b) resolves a significant problem of relationship that cannot be resolved from uncontested direct evidence. Identity questions that separate same-named people or merge identities to solve relationship problems are also acceptable. You may not submit a study about a single identifying characteristic of a person, such as their date or place of birth.”
  
  

Changes for Current Associates
Associates whose renewal date falls on or before 30 June 2026 may choose either the 2021 or 2025 Application Guide requirements for CG renewal.  Associates whose renewal date falls on or after 1 July 2026, even if submitted previous to that date, are subject to the 2025 edition. Associates may submit one or two work samples, both of which must meet the Genealogical Proof Standard.

The Certified Genetic Genealogist (CGG) requirements have been introduced in this edition.  Rubrics have been updated to reflect the relevant sections.

The Certified Genealogical Lecturer (CGL) requirements have been updated in this edition, and rubrics have been introduced to aid applicants.

There are no changes to the fees for renewals or add-on credentials.

For more information or with questions, contact the Executive Director.

The following is an announcement from Queens University:

Thanks to our amazing partners at Queens University of Charlotte, DigitalNC is pleased to announce that over a hundred new literary journals and six new beautiful books are now available online! Four of these new books are scrapbooks created for and by Queens students, while the other two are administrative records. They span from as early as 1919 to as late as 1978; combined, the collection offers a cohesive glimpse into campus life on Queens during the twentieth century. This fantastic collection will join Queens University’s burgeoning presence on DigitalNC, which has added almost three hundred records in the last year!

The highlight of this collection is by far a scrapbook titled “The Princess,” created in 1919. Scrapbooks created by students are often artistic and unconventional, pushing the conventional boundaries of the scrapbooking medium, and this volume is no exception. It chronicles Ms. Effie J. Wall’s first year at Queens, from her arrival at orientation to her departure for summer recess. Ms. Wall’s freshman experience is not unlike many modern college students’ — she quickly forms a tightly knit group of friends, finds a “beau,” makes fun of her professors, and dives in to extracurriculars. Her handwriting fills the margins of each page, providing color commentary on clippings of newspapers and official campus publications. She also includes a variety of unconventional material in her book, including (but not limited to) peanut bags, candy wrappers, locks of her friends’ hair, and scorecards for bridge. The inclusion of these unusual materials hints at that wide-eyed fascination with the wider world many college students experience after moving away from home, even centuries ago. The Princess is an amazing example of humans remaining humans throughout the years (or, rather, teenagers being teenagers!).

Another excellent example of student creativity can be found in the wealth of literary journals included in this collection. Published under a variety of titles during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, these journals embody Queens student’s skills in written and visual art. Each issue contains poems, illustrations, and creative nonfiction created by and for Queens’ faculty and students. The issues span as far back as 1917 to as recently as 2024, meaning DigitalNC now has over a century of published material available online!

We are also pleased to announce that a brand new collection of the Queens University student newspaper has been digitized from microfilm for the very first time! The new issues will join an impressive collection of nearly 500 issues already online, ranging from 1920 to 2005. The papers chronicle campus life at Queens from 1961 to 1985, a period where Queens began accepting male students to its hallowed halls for the very first time. You can find the new issues of the Queens University student newspaper online at DigitalNC here.

You can find The Princess, along with the other scrapbooks and administrative records, online now at DigitalNC here. You can also find the literary journals online now at DigitalNC here. Interested in learning more about Queens University of Charlotte? Try exploring their records online at DigitalNC here, or visiting their website online here. Thanks again to our fantastic partners at Queens University for making this collection, and many other amazing pieces of history, available online at DigitalNC.

The Butler County Genealogical Society will host the webinar “Seven Immigration Methodologies, with Case Studies Across the Centuries” at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, at the Butler Area Public Library, 218 N. McKean St. in Butler, Pennsylvania.

This presentation introduces seven methodologies to effectively trace immigrant origins, illustrated with examples from the early 1600s to the early 1900s. Family historians face significant challenges tracing immigrant ancestors, because of changes in language, culture, family composition, given name, surname, country of residence and occupation.

David S. Ouimette, who currently works for Family Search, will lead the webinar.

The following announcement was written by the Board for Certification of Genealogists:

The Catholic Church will canonize Carlo Acutis as its first millennial saint on September 7 according to an announcement by Pope Leo XIV.

Italian teenager Acutis who succumbed to leukemia in 2006 will be declared a saint by Leo during a ceremony at St. Peter’s Square which will draw thousands of young attendees.

At the age of 15 Acutis passed away yet he utilized his technical abilities to raise awareness about Catholicism by creating a website which compiled reports of miraculous events.

Pope Leo will canonize Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassatti in September according to a Vatican announcement following a meeting with cardinals. The Vatican postponed Acutis' canonization set for April 27 following the death of Pope Francis.

Pope Leo will conduct his first canonization ceremony as an American pope on September 7.

Young Catholics and people from various backgrounds have embraced Acutis who is known as God’s influencer. The Italian teenager born in Britain who enjoyed playing video games appears frequently dressed in jeans and trainers which connects him to modern Catholic youth.

Recent surveys indicate that Catholicism interests Generation Z more than ever before while Pope Francis prepares for a new canonization.

The process of becoming a saint according to church rules involves two verified miracles from candidates which require thorough investigation. Pope Francis' recognition of the second miracle attributed to Acutis in May allowed for the teenager's declaration as a saint.

The Catholic Church declared Acutis blessed in 2020 following his first miracle which resulted in the healing of a Brazilian boy who had a birth defect that prevented normal eating. His mother's prayers to Acutis for his healing resulted in a miraculous recovery for the boy.

After falling from her bicycle in Florence, Italy where she was studying, a Costa Rican girl experienced recovery from head trauma which became the second miracle attributed to Acutis. The girl's mother prayed at Acutis's tomb in Assisi for her daughter to heal.

Antonia Salzano, the mother of Acutis, shared with CNN her son's dedication toward helping Milan's homeless population and his habit of donating his personal allowance to street dwellers.

Today is Friday the 13th. Question: does that bother you?

Friday, the 13th of the month, is an especially bad day for people who suffer from a phobia famously called triskaidekaphobia, a fear of the number 13. Any Friday that falls on the 13th of the month is especially bad, causing the fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek words Paraskeví (meaning “Friday”), and dekatreís (meaning “thirteen”).

In the Christian world the number 13 has long been associated with many bad events. Jesus had 12 disciples, which meant there were a total of 13 people in attendance the evening of the Last Supper, with Judas being received as the 13th guest.

On Friday 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered Knights Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay and scores of other French Templars to be simultaneously arrested. The Knights Templar were charged with numerous other offenses, such as financial corruption, fraud, secrecy, denying Christ, spitting on the crucifix, idol worship, blasphemy, and various obscenities. The soldiers arrested and imprisoned all the Knights Templar they could find. Most of those imprisoned were tortured until they died. Many in France were burned at the stake, including Grand Master Jacques de Molay. Only a few Knights Templar survived, mostly those who were in distant countries at the time, and they went into hiding.

The German Luftwaffe bombed Buckingham Palace on Friday, the 13th of September, 1940.

Hip hop star Tupac Shakur died on Friday, September 13, 1996, of gunshot wounds suffered in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting.

The Costa Concordia cruise ship crashed off the coast of Italy, killing 30 people, on Friday, the 13th of January 2012.

In 1907, Thomas W. Lawson published a novel called Friday, the Thirteenth, with the story of an unscrupulous broker taking advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th. The novel became a best seller of the time.

Then, of course, we have the hockey mask-wearing killer named Jason in the movie Friday the 13th, released in 1980.

How many Friday the 13ths have you survived? A calculator embedded in an article by Philip Bump in The Washington Post gives the answer. You can check it out at: https://wapo.st/2GE9u1Y.

In spite of these misfortunes, there is no truth to the idea that Friday the 13th is unlucky. Still, I am not taking any chances. You won’t see me this Friday as I am taking the day off and staying in bed.

The following is an announcement from the (U.S.) Natioanl Achives and Records Administration:

The National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, will display the original Emancipation Proclamation along with General Order No. 3. The order, issued on June 19 1865, declares “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free” and will go on view from Thursday, June 19, to Sunday, June 22, 2025. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. ET; timed ticket entry is available, but not required. “The annual public exhibition of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and this important military order provides a regular opportunity to reinforce how America’s founding principles ultimately ended slavery, ” said Jim Byron, Senior Advisor to the Acting Archivist of the United States. "The Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3 together tell a critical story of our nation's journey to a more perfect union," said Chair and President of the National Archives Foundation Rodney Slater. "These documents are among the vast treasure trove of the National Archives holdings and we're excited to have them on display for visitors this summer." Featured Document Display: The original Emancipation Proclamation East Rotunda Gallery President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached the third year of the Civil War. Lincoln’s proclamation, which declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free,” was “a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing rebellion.” The Proclamation also declared the acceptance of Black men into military service. By the war’s end, almost 200,000 Black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and freedom.  The Emancipation Proclamation promised freedom and a new beginning for several million Americans and fundamentally transformed the character of the war. It recognized the moral force behind the Union cause and strengthened the Union both militarily and politically. As a milestone along the road to chattel slavery’s final destruction, the Emancipation Proclamation has assumed a place among the great documents of the nation. Related Featured Document Display: 'Juneteenth’ General Order No. 3 East Rotunda GalleryThe freedom promised in the Emancipation Proclamation was delivered to 250,000 slaves in Texas two and a half years after President Lincoln’s historic proclamation and two months after Union victory in the Civil War. On June 19, 1865, U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which informed the people of Texas that all slaves in the state were now free. This day has come to be known as Juneteenth, a combination of June and 19th. These documents were important elements of the abolition movement, which sought to end slavery. That goal was not fully realized until December 6, 1865, when the requisite number of states ratified the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, legally ending slavery in the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3 Featured Document Presentation is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of The Boeing Company. About the National Archives The National Archives and Records Administration is a federal agency that serves the American people by preserving and making available the records of the United States Government through a nationwide network of archives, records centers, and Presidential Libraries. The National Archives is the custodian of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, on display for all to experience in Washington, DC. Learn more about the holdings of the National Archives at www.archives.gov. About the National Archives Foundation The National Archives Foundation is an independent nonprofit that increases public awareness of the National Archives, inspires a deeper appreciation of our country’s heritage and encourages citizen engagement in our democracy. The foundation generates financial and creative support for National Archives exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives, introducing America’s records to people around the U.S. and the world. Learn more at www.archivesfoundation.org. #  #  #