Sit back and enjoy this episode about a Gem of a web site:  www.DeadFred.com 

Founder Joe Bott tells us what drove him to create the site and some amazing and inspiring stories of Ancestors found!

Here's a link to the photograph of Gustavo Hammel that Karen Hammel found on the DeadFred web site.

Our Dog Howie was featured in BARK! magazine (below) 

 

NEWS:

Lisa covers digitized newspaper records recently posted at the Library of America's Chronicling America web site

As well as news from Ancestry.com including new records, the new social networking with records feature, and updated to their Member Connect Feature.

Watch Lisa's 2 part video series on Member Connect with David Graham of Ancestry.  Go to the Genealogy Gems TV Channel at YouTube and Click on the Videos section.

Become a fan of The Genealogy Gems Podcast at Facebook. 

Add Lisa as a friend on Facebook 

MAILBOX:
Lisa stops by Mike O’Laughlin’s Irish Roots Café to ask the Irish research expert for some advice for listener Maria Romano about her Hickson and Carey ancestors from Clanmorris, County Kerry, Ireland.    Mike has some great leads for Maria and anyone with Irish ancestors.

Then Lisa shares some advice from German Genealogist Baerbel Johnson of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City on German research in response to listener Teri Chaffin’s question about her Matzdorff family.

Danny from Baltimore wrote in to comment on Genealogy Gems Podcast episode 69 and the story about the man who found his family history book digitized on Google Books.

"Copyright infringement and plagiarism is always a topic near and dear to every genealogist.  A discussion on “fair use” typically results in a heated debate but to assume that since a library has a copy of a book and that an arrangement between the library, a company (Google) and various literary organizations permitting the digitalization of the library’s collection automatically implies the granting of digital rights to that collection is flabbergasting.”  Danny from Baltimore

Web sites mentioned:
Authors Guild  

Original article (9/3/09) about Google books from the BBC 

Tina Kelly writes to say how excited she was to be able to get some of the archived Premium Episodes from the Genealogy Gems store at Lulu  

Premium Episodes now on Lulu:
Premium Episodes 2 through 7 
And more episodes are coming soon! 
Limited Time Savings:  Save 14.92% on your order (up to $25) with coupon code PINTA  Sale Ends Oct. 12, 2009.

And Russ Karr writes to share the highs and lows of his research, and his curiousity about an ancestor that died in an Insane Asylum in San Jose in 1920.

Resources mentioned by Lisa:
The Suitcase Exhibit Online

Diane Haddad’s post on The Genealogy Insider Blog

Attend Lisa’s classes:
Family History Expo
Redding, California
October 16 & 17, 2009

Listener and Premium member Pat Dalpiaz shares how she proudly wears her new Genealogy Gem Rhinestone Pin whenever she has a new discovery, and shares two of her most recent discoveries generated by working on her family history blog.

$11.95 + $1.50 shipping to the Continental U.S.

Designed personally by Lisa Louise Cooke and made with high quality Czechoslovakian and Austrian crystals, this custom rhinestone pin is bound to generate genealogical conversation when worn. Measures approximately 2" x 1", secured with pin back.  Limited quantities!

 

Something new this week...I'm trying out a videocast of the Genealogy News segment of The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 73. Click the video file attached to these show notes (which ends with the "mp4" extension) to play on your computer or download to your Video iPod from iTunes (should be available in iTunes Oct. 8 mid day) I want to hear from you! Did you watch the videocast? Do you enjoy getting your genealogy news this way? Did you download it to a Video iPod? Email your comments to genealogygemspodcast at gmail dot com or leave a recorded message on the voicemail line: 925-272-4021. Thanks for watching this special addition of The Genealogy Gems Podcast! Lisa

News:

Read Lisa's Blog post “Google Books Revolutionary Next Step”

How to Order Key Civil War Records by Tamie Dehler, Tribune-Star 

Mailbox:

A listener writes in to share her experience with Genealogy Wise
Join the Genealogy Gems Podcast Group at Genealogy Wise.

Check out the free program Transcript 2.0 that listeners are raving about. 

GEM: Probate Records with Jana Broglin, CG

How to Find Probate Records:

1. Research the local jurisdiction
2. Find where wills are filed
3. Look in Index of Testators or General Index to Wills
4. Request the packet

Jana's Tips:

1. Don't overlook Vouchers / Receipts
2. Ask for numerous short pages to be photocopied onto one page
3. Just because you find a guardianship record, don't assume both parents are deceased.

Visit Jana's Web Site

GEM: Sorting your bookmarks alphabetically in Safari (Mac)
Thanks to listener Eiya Loki

How to Sort Bookmarks:

1.  On the top of your screen click on Bookmarks
2.  In Bookmarks drop down menu click on Show All Bookmarks
3.  In the left pane under Collections click on Bookmarks Menu
4.  click on any bookmark in the right pane
5.  Go directly up to Edit at the top of your screen and click on it
6.  Click on Select All from the drop down menu
7.  Open up Finder and make a folder on your desktop called "bookmarks"
8.  Double click on the folder to open it up.
9.  Then on your keyboard press Command-J. This will open a little window.
10. About in the middle of this window you will see the words Arrange By: with a drop down menu right next to it, click the drop down menu option Name.
11. Now go back to Safari and drag a third of Safari's window out of screen
12. Position the finder in the empty half of the screen.
13. Go back to the Bookmarks Menu
14. Click and drag all of your bookmarks in the Finder window.
15. There the will be automatically sorted even the bookmarks inside folders!
16. Go back to Safari and re Select All to your bookmarks just as you did before but this time after you have all you bookmarks highlighted
17. Go back up to Edit & click Delete in the drop down window.
18. Go back to the Finder window and Select All just as you did before
19. Drag the bookmarks back into Bookmarks Menu in Safari.

And at this conference I am debuting a brand new item that I've been working on for months and it"s ready, and it will be available for the first time at the Expo.  It’s actually inspired by you - you know you are all such gems to listen in to the show, and I was thinking about that, and it just seemed to me that there ought to be something wonderful to wear that shows off what a real genealogy gem you are.   So this weekend I’m making available for the first time the Genealogy Gem rhinestone jewelry pin

My grandmother always wore sparkling costume jewelry and I was fortunate enough to inherit it, and this pin fits right in with all the wonderful vintage pieces.  So if you would like your very own pin to declare to the world that you are someone you care about is a genealogy gem, be sure and stop by the Genealogy Gems booth in the exhibit hall.  

 

MAILBOX:  

Russ from Tucson, AZ wrote in to ask about how to locate some Californians in his family tree, and a very happy outcome followed:

Well the "little angels" were in my court because the same day I emailed you I was listening to your old archives in the premium member section when I heard you mention the "acts of random kindness" which I emailed the same day, well someone who lived near the cemetery was able to get a hold of a record of my great grandfather's burial date but said there was no date of death.  Using that date, I manually went into the Oakland Tribune obituary archives and went back a few days before the burial date and there was his obituary!

Kay wrote in to share her experiences with Member Connect on Ancestry.  Email your comments to Lisa

GEM: Member Connect with Ancestry Part 2
Interview with David Graham, Director of Product Management

In this episode, we wrap our personal tour of Ancestry’s new Member Connect feature.

GEM: Family History Thoughts with Lee Drew

In this gem I am happy to feature another wonderful blog post from genealogy blogger Lee Drew called "Choices and Consequences.”

LineageKeeper blog

Fam Hist Blog 

 

I’m going in for some surgery in early September and I know that recovery may take around 4 weeks, so you may not be hearing from me as regularly as usual, but I hope that you stay in touch and be patient until I’m up on my feet again.  I’m going to try to get some things wrapped up before hand, so hopefully you Genealogy Gems Premium members won’t notice any difference in the regularity of premium shows and videos.  And actually I’m having a blast with this new video series coming up and I know you’ll love it. 

I appreciate your understanding and patience and really can’t wait until I can get back to the microphone with more genealogy gems.

Thanks so much for listening friend, I’ll talk to you soon!