Last week, just weeks before the trial of Dr. Gerald Mortimer was scheduled to begin, the court dismissed the case with prejudice – meaning the case is permanently over.

It’s not clear exactly why the case was dismissed after three years, however, generally, if a judge agrees to dismiss a case at such a late stage, it is because an out-of-court settlement between the parties has been reached. Settlement agreements are not open to the public.

Mortimer admitted to using his own sperm to inseminate several of his patients after one of his former clients, Sally Ashby, and her daughter, Kelli Rowlette, filed a lawsuit against him in 2018. Ashby sought Mortimer for fertility treatments in 1980, when she and her then-husband, Howard Fowler, struggled to conceive naturally.

Last week, just weeks before the trial of Dr. Gerald Mortimer was scheduled to begin, the court dismissed the case with prejudice – meaning the case is permanently over.

It’s not clear exactly why the case was dismissed after three years, however, generally, if a judge agrees to dismiss a case at such a late stage, it is because an out-of-court settlement between the parties has been reached. Settlement agreements are not open to the public.

Mortimer admitted to using his own sperm to inseminate several of his patients after one of his former clients, Sally Ashby, and her daughter, Kelli Rowlette, filed a lawsuit against him in 2018. Ashby sought Mortimer for fertility treatments in 1980, when she and her then-husband, Howard Fowler, struggled to conceive naturally.

You can read more in an article by Grace Hansen in the East Idaho News web site at: https://bit.ly/2Rc0IyP.

You may find information about your ancestors and other relatives in this new online database. If not, you certainly can learn more about the times in which they lived. All 41 volumes of the South Dakota Historical Collections have been digitized by the S.D. State Library.

From 1902 to 1982, the Historical Collection series was published biennially by the Department of History — now the S.D. State Historical Society — as part of its mission to collect, preserve, and make accessible the history of the state. All 41 volumes are now available in the Featured Collections section of the S.D. State Library’s Digital Collections.

“These volumes cover a wide array of topics and are a valuable resource for students, teachers, and scholarly researchers,” Mary Stadick Smith, S.D. Department of Education, said. “Six editors presided over the S.D. Historical Collections during its run, including Doane Robinson, Will G. Robinson, and Dayton Canaday. Their different editing styles and interests are evident throughout the volumes. Taken as a whole, the series represents an evolution in perspectives on the state’s history, heritage, and culture. In 1989 an index to the collection was compiled and published to aid researchers.”

You can learn more in an article by Del Bartels in the (South Dakota) Capital Journal at: https://bit.ly/3hj3Fbv.

A pair of state grants will enable Syracuse University professors and staff to digitize valuable records pertaining to Oakwood Cemetery and Syracuse’s Latino community.

The grants, awarded by the Central New York Libraries Resource Council, will support two projects: converting decades-old death and burial records for Oakwood Cemetery into a searchable database and expanding digital access to cultural artifacts in the La Casita Cultural Center’s archives.

The Oakwood Cemetery project, which received $5,000 in grant funding, will convert handwritten notes in books from the cemetery into a digital format. The project will consist of two phases, according to Meg Craig, an adjunct professor of magazine, news and digital journalism and one of the project’s leads.

The first phase, which involves scanning the pages into virtual documents, will be the responsibility of the resource council and will only take a few months. The second and more time-consuming phase will require student interns to translate the records on the scanned pages into a searchable database. The grant will cover their wages.

“(These records) have sort of just been mouldering in the storage room for who knows how long, probably since they were written,” Craig said. “These books are kind of literally falling apart. They’re extremely old, going back 150 years or more. It’s still data — just data the way it used to be, which is written into a physical book.”

You can read more in an article by Chris Hippensteel published in The Daily Orange at: http://dailyorange.com/2021/05/grants-digitize-oakwood-cemetery-latinx-records/.

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

Explore over 1 million new United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939. And 2.6M more Catholic Church Records this week on FamilySearch from Venezuela 1577–1995, Guatemala 1581–1977, Bolivia 1566–1996, and Mexico (Coahuila 1627–1978, Distrito Federal 1514–1970, Guerrero 1576–1979, Jalisco 1590–1979, México 1567–1970, Nayarit 1596–1967, Oaxaca 1559–1988, Puebla 1545–1977, San Luis Potosí 1586–1977, Tamaulipas 1703–1964, and Zacatecas 1605–1980). 

Look for new leads for your ancestral research questions in additional US Military Records, Bureau of Land Management Tract Books 1800– ca. 1955, and expanded US collections for Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, and Wisconsin. 

Search these new records and images by clicking on the collection links below, or go to FamilySearch to search over 8 billion free names and record images.

(The full list is very long, too long to list here. However, you can find the full list at: https://media.familysearch.org/new-free-historical-records-on-familysearch-week-of-10-may-2021/)

The following is copied from the IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee mailing list and is republished here with permission:

Friesland is a province of the Netherlands knowns a Fresia, located in the northern part of the country.  The West-Fries Archief has made the family cards 1919-1939 available on online—again.  They had been removed in 2018 due advice of  the Society of Municipalities in the Netherlands- to remove the family cards of 1921-1940 to limit availability of the records for 110 years  as they contain information on religious denominations and some persons in the cards were still living.  This was a reaction to  the then new privacy regulations  (General Data Protection Regulation-GDPR) disallowed publication of cards containing living people. Volunteers have entered the birth dates of the people on the cards so the website can automatically detect which cards contain people who were born less than 100 years ago.

To visit the WestFries Archives for the list of names go to: https://www.westfriesarchief.nl/onderzoek/zoeken/personen  It is in Dutch and English.  You can click on the person’s name and it will provide a link to records for that person.

Having information of where people lived at the beginning of World War ll, 1939, is important when tracing back. They were part of the registration process. In 1920, the address-based registration was converted into a family-based registration. For each family, their information was collected on a family card. If the family moved, the card went with them. The system was changed into a personal registration in 1938 with the introduction of the personal index card.

Personal record cards were introduced in 1938 to replace the old family-based registration. The municipalities kept personal record cards for every inhabitant. If a person moved to another municipality, his index card was forwarded there. It can be thought of as an ‘administrative twin’ that follows you around your entire life.

The personal record cards from 1938 onward are not public to protect the privacy of living people. After a person dies, his or her card or record from the municipal basic administration is sent for processing to the Central Bureau of Statistics. When they are done with it, it is sent on to the Central Bureau for Genealogy (CBG)  https://cbg.nl/ . Usually, it takes around two years for the cards to become available at the CBG.  Photocopies can be ordered from the CBG for a fee by filling in the application form and sending it to pkpl@cbg.nl. See the CBG webpage (in Dutch and English) https://cbg.nl/diensten/uittreksels-pkpl/  about the current fees in Euros.

Photocopies can be ordered from the CBG for a fee by filling in the application form and sending it to pkpl@cbg.nl. See the CBG webpage (in Dutch) about the current fees. Also see: https://www.dutchgenealogy.nl/personal-record-card/

Thank you to Yvette Hoitink’s Dutch Genealogy News- April 2021 for sharing this information.  https://www.dutchgenealogy.nl/dutch-genealogy-news-for-april-2021/ 

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. 

When going through a box of old photographs or viewing the latest digital pictures on your computer, did you ever ask, “I wonder where this photograph was taken?” You can use software tools to record the exact location of every digital picture in your collection. This includes old family photographs that you have scanned as well as new pictures that you or someone else takes with a digital camera.

None of the products I will mention will do the detective work for you. You must still find where the picture was taken in the traditional manner. For instance, "Here is Aunt Millie and Uncle Fred at Niagara Falls" or something similar. You then scan the photograph, saving it as a JPEG image. Once the photograph is on your hard drive, you use a Windows or Macintosh program or an online app “in the cloud” to embed the longitude and latitude information into the photograph in a hidden area of the image. Once the information is recorded, you and future viewers of the image will wonder no more. Even better, with the appropriate software, you can just click on an icon to display a map that shows the exact location.

Even better, pictures taken with iPhones and most Android phones already have the longitude and latitude information embedded into the photograph.

The added information is not visible when looking at the image but can be read by any software that looks for EXIF information. There are several EXIF programs available today, and new ones appear frequently.

Metadata in photography is information that describes the image files. Photography metadata typically is not visible when looking at the photograph. However, using a program that is capable of reading metadata, the information displayed typically includes information on the data and time the picture was taken. Certain metadata entries are generated automatically by modern cameras. Lens aperture, focal length, camera shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, whether flash was used or not – all this information is also metadata. Every modern digital camera embeds this sort of information to each image individually and by default. However, other metadata entries – those that describe the image – may also be manually added later, if desired. All that is needed is a piece of software that can read and write this meta data.

The remainder of this article is reserved for Plus Edition subscribers only. If you have a Plus Edition subscription, you may read the full article at: https://eogn.com/(*)-Plus-Edition-News-Articles/10453424. 

If you are not yet a Plus Edition subscriber, you can learn more about such subscriptions and even upgrade to a Plus Edition subscription immediately at https://eogn.com/page-18077.

The following announcement was written by the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (which is often abbreviated as SLIG):

Concerns for the health and safety of participants during this program continues to be at the forefront of our minds. During the Academy, our smaller size makes it necessary to share space in the hotel with other groups, increasing health and safety risks during a second pandemic year.

Therefore, we are pleased to announce the following changes:

• The SLIG Academy for Professionals 2022 will again take place virtually. Following the success of this year’s virtual program, courses will meet in a weekto-week format, beginning January 3oth with orientation and ending in April.

• Two additional courses will be added to the already available options for 2022. These will be:

1. Writing and Documenting for Peer Review with Karen Mauer Jones, CG, FGBS, FUGA

2. Teaching Genealogy Classes in your Community with Katherine R. Willson

To view the newly updated line-up of all courses please visit the Academy webpage at SLIGacademy.ugagenealogy.org.

• The Accreditation Course, Becoming an Accredited Genealogist Professional: The Thy, the What, the How with Diana Elder, AG, and Lisa Stokes, AG will move to SLIG during the week of January 9-14, 2022. This transition will allow participation in unique course experiences and sample testing at the Family History Library.

• Registration will still open on August 14, 2021, at 2:00 pm MDT. Enrollment will be limited to a single course.

• Course lengths will vary to support the designed curriculum for each course.

Additional information may be found on our website, slig.ugagenealogy.org, as it becomes available.

We look forward to seeing you – safe and healthy – virtually at SLIG Academy 2022.

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

This week’s Findmypast Friday sees the publication of a new and improved collection of Australian Passenger Lists featuring 9 million new records.

Findmypast’s latest new additions also include an exclusive collection of Middlesex Poor Law records, new parish baptisms, marriages and burials from the Devon Family History Society and a whole host of historical newspapers.

Australia, Inward, Outward & Coastal Passenger Lists 1826-1972

Did your ancestors travel to, from or around Australia? To help you uncover details of their voyage, Findmypast has merged their vast collection of Australian passenger lists into one simple search and added over 9 million new entries.

This growing collection now contains over 26 million of records from multiple sources covering all corners of Australia, including;

• • Australian National Passenger Lists 1898-1972
  • New South Wales passenger lists (assisted & unassisted)
  • 1881 British census crew and passengers on ships arriving in New South Wales
  • Queensland customs house shipping passengers and crew 1852-1885
  • South Australia passenger lists 1847-1886
  • Passengers to South Australia on board Buffalo 1836
  • Tasmania Departures 1817-1863
  • Victoria inward passenger lists 1839-1923
  • Victoria outward passenger lists 1852-1915
  • Victoria coastal passenger lists 1852-1924

Each record includes a transcript and many also include an image of the original record. Passenger lists vary widely in size, length, and level of detail, as there was no standardised format.

Some record only a minimum of information about the passengers, while others are quite detailed. As well as revealing the dates and location of arrival and departure, many records will also reveal a variety of useful biographical details such as ages, occupations, nationalities, marital status, places of birth or residence

Middlesex Poor Law Records

Only searchable online at Findmypast, these fascinating records cover 10 Middlesex parishes between 1699 and 1846, including;

• • Chelsea, St Luke
  • Ealing, St Mary
  • Feltham, St Dunstan
  • Fulham, All Saints
  • Hammersmith, St Paul
  • New Brentford, St Laurence
  • Shepperton, St Nicholas
  • Staines, St Mary
  • Stanwell, St Mary
  • Uxbridge, St Margaret

In the records, you'll find everything from settlement examinations to bastardy bonds, all packed with rich family details.

Devon Parish Records

Over 240,000 new parish baptisms, marriages and burials have been added to Findmypast’s unrivalled collection of Devon Parish records. Published in partnership with the Devon Family History Society, these new additions are now available to search online for the very first time, only on Findmypast. This includes;

• • Over 122,000 baptism records (1538-1919 and 1921)
  • Over 20,000 marriage records (1538-1799 and 1921)
  • Over 104,000 burial records (1538-1917 and 1921)

Check Findmypast’s Devon parish list for churches marked as 'New' for more detail and what is included.

The partnership between Findmypast and the Devon FHS has already resulted in the online publication of over 1.5 million exclusive records from across the county and the two organisations will continue to work together to bring more vital records online for the first time.

Newspapers

15 new brand new titles and pages from 25 existing publications are now available to search on FIndmypast. This week’s new releases include;

• • Albion and the Star covering 1830-1835
  • Argus, or, Broad-sheet of the Empire covering 1839-1840
  • British Emancipator covering 1837-1840
  • British Liberator covering 1833
  • British Luminary covering 1818-1823
  • Cycling covering 1891-1914
  • Hull Daily News covering 1852-1853, 1855-1869, 1871-1873, 1876, 1878, 1880-1883 and 1889
  • Imperial Weekly Gazette covering 1818-1825
  • Lloyd’s Companion to the Penny Sunday Times and Peoples’ Police Gazette covering 1841-1844
  • Mirror of the Times covering 1801-1804, 1815, 1818-1823
  • New Weekly True Sun covering 1836
  • Pictorial Times covering 1843-1844, 1846, 1848
  • Pierce Egan’s Life in London, and Sporting Guide covering 1826
  • The Age covering 1826-1827, 1829-1830, 1832, 1835-1836
  • Westminster Journal and Old British Spy covering 1808-1810

While thousands of new pages have been added to;

• • Anti-Gallican Monitor from 1812-1825
  • Bee-Hive from 1876
  • Blandford and Wimbourne Telegram from 1884
  • Bridport, Beaminster, and Lyme Regis Telegram from 1885
  • Cambria Daily Leader from 1861 and 1906
  • Champion (London) from 1813-1819 and 1821-1822
  • Cleave’s Weekly Police Gazette from 1836
  • Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald from 1939-1945
  • Herts and Essex Observer from 1982
  • Illustrated Sporting News and Theatrical and Musical Review from 1864-1865 and 1868
  • Neath Guardian from 1965-1985
  • Nelson Chronicle, Colne Observer and Clitheroe Division News from 1898
  • Northern Daily Times from 1858
  • Northern Guardian (Hartlepool) from 1896 and 1899
  • Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express from 1924
  • Poole Telegram from 1881-1884 and 1886
  • Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser from 1897
  • Sun & Central Press from 1872
  • Swansea and Glamorgan Herald from 1880-1885
  • The News (London) from 1835-1839
  • Weekly True Sun from 1833 and 1843
  • Weymouth Telegram from 1882, 1884, 1886, 1888-1892

If this legislation is passed and signed by the President, it will either drive many social media companies (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, SnapChat, Instagram, etc.) out of business or else will require a massive overhaul of their present business practices of spying on their users.

Obviously, the social media companies will spend millions of dollars on lobbyists and others to prevent the passage of this bill. I suspect the next few months will provide a lot of entertainment as these powerhouses battle each other. 

The following is a message posted to the IAJGS (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, Inc.,) Public Records Access Alert mailing list and is republished here with permission:

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the Data and Algorithm Transparency Agreement Act (DATA) to increase transparency by requiring big technology platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter to receive express consent to use American’s personal information.

The DATA Act would also provide Americans with legal recourse against these companies if they believe their right to privacy has been violated.

Currently, tech companies capitalize on algorithms to manipulate users, pushing them toward content the algorithm believes they would like or be interested in. These companies are also gathering massive amounts of personal data – and users have little to no control over how their data is used.

The bill is S.1477 but is not yet back from the Government Printing Office.  To follow the bill’s progress go to:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1477

A summary which appeared in the local news media listed below states:

Requires any internet platform, with an active monthly user base of 30 million or more U.S. users, that uses algorithms to increase or decrease the availability of content on its platform to:

• • Obtain user consent to collect data of the user’s preferences, habits, etc.;
  • Allow users to revoke or withdraw prior consent to data collection, and to request any user data previously collected be deleted or removed;
  • Obtain user consent to sell, share, or convey user data to a third-party entity;
  • Allow users to revoke or withdraw prior consent to sell, share, or convey the user’s data to a third-party entity;
  • Provide a plain language notice to users of the above requirements (in addition to any terms of service notifications), which will appear each login, unless affirmatively waived by the user.
  • Private right of action: If a platform provider violates any of these conditions, any individual user may file a federal lawsuit, and is entitled to minimum monetary damages of $5,000 per violation, plus any actual damages and attorney’s fees.

To read more see: https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/sen-rick-scott-introduces-data-act-to-shield-personal-info-from-big-tech-companies

Jan Meisels Allen
Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

The following is a public message from the Records Not Revenue team:

FORWARDED EMAIL BELOW - PLEASE SHARE:

Dear Friends of Records Not Revenue:

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) wants to know what YOU think!

USCIS published a call for your comments in the Federal Register, and the deadline to submit is May 19^th 2021. WE NEED YOU to make your voice heard about the Genealogy Program, AND to urge USCIS to transfe r their historical records to the National Archives (NARA).

This is a rare opportunity to voice concerns about the USCIS Genealogy Program, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Program, or about public access to information and records generally.

We’ve provided all the information you need to know, including comment starters, on our website at https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/take-action/.

What does USCIS want to know? USCIS wants to identify barriers between their services and your satisfaction. They framed the call for comments with a series of questions relating to the barriers. Don’t worry – all the information you need is at our website: https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/take-action/.

Please make sure to submit your comments by May 19^th. We need YOUR voice to demonstrate that Americans value our immigration history and records, and demand those records are preserved and available for research.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us.

As ever, thanks for your time and efforts.

Sincerely,

The Records Not Revenue team