For %%emailaddr%% Nov. 9, 2006 For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been rooting for ABC in the morning television wars. Family Tree Magazine contributor Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak has been helping that network’s "Good Morning America" anchors trace their ancestry. Visit http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA (look under Meet the GMA Team) to read about Sam Champion’s Ireland homestead and Diane Sawyer’s deep Kentucky roots. You also can take in Smolenyak’s answers to viewers’ genealogy research questions. Maybe a TV career is the solution to your ancestral brick walls? In other news, the December 2006 Family Tree Magazine just hit newsstands with articles on family history holiday gifts you can make, obtaining ancestral birth records, research in Georgia and Iowa, and a whole lot more. And Ancestry.com just came out with an expanded immigration records database—which you can access free for a limited time. Read more here. Your next E-mail Update newsletter will arrive Nov. 30. Have a happy Thanksgiving! —Diane Haddad, Newsletter Editor ftmnews-editor@fwpubs.com P.S. Make sure you don't miss a single issue of your E-mail Update! Add our address (familytree-newsletter@fwpubs.com) to your email-address book—your software will recognize the Update as an e-mail you want to read. Get Free Access to Expanded Immigration Lists on Ancestry.com Mapped Out Turkey Day Talk Money Doesn't Grow on Family Trees AncestorNews: [Item] Tip of the Week: Delayed Gratification Worthwhile Web Sites Identifying Family Photographs: Petal Pushers—Take Two Speakers' Schedule Advertiser Special Offers Get Free Access to Expanded Immigration Lists on Ancestry.com MyFamily.com today announced the completion of a three-year project to digitize and post online all available US passenger lists from 1820 through 1960, covering more than 100 ports of arrival and 100 million names. Even better, you can access the collection on Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com) free through Nov. 30 (you’ll need to register with the site). The collection includes 7 million passenger list images and a thousand ship images. Ancestry.com estimates 85 percent of Americans can find at least one ancestor in this collection. You’ll discover not only immigrants, but all travelers—handy for tracking “birds of passage” (those who moved between their homelands and the United States multiple times before settling here for good) and ancestors who visited family back home. Immigration database additions include Detroit border crossings (1905 to 1957), emigrants from Baden-Wurttemburg (1735 to 1930), English emigrants (1609 to 1733), more years for the ports of New York and Boston, Seattle passengers and crew (1882 to 1957) and more. After November, you'll need a $155.40-per-year Ancestry.com US Deluxe collection subscription to access the immigration lists. Mapped Out RootsMagic has released its new Family Atlas software, which works with your genealogy software to create customized maps so you can show, for example, the path of your family’s migrations across the United States, or the locations of all cemeteries where they’re buried. Family Atlas costs $29.95; get it in stores or at http://www.FamilyAtlas.com. See the December 2006 Family Tree Magazine (on newsstands now) for reviews of Family Atlas as well Progeny Software’s recently released Map My Family Tree program (http://www.progenygenealogy.com).   Turkey Day Talk The US surgeon general encourages Americans to use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to discuss their family health history. (It's up to you to address the irony of holding that conversation while consuming buttery crescent rolls, sausage stuffing and pumpkin pie.) According to the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG; http://www.acmg.net), knowing your family's medical history can help your doctor predict conditions that may pose a risk to your health—meaning you can take actions to minimize those risks. "Some families may already be collecting genealogical information but haven't gathered details about health history," said ACMG Executive Director Michael S. Watson. As with traditional genealogy, asking relatives is the best way to start. Since you’re all gathered around the table anyway, pose these questions from the ACMG: 1. What health problems are known to run in our family? 2. Has anyone in our family had cancer, heart disease or other adult-onset health problems at an early age, such as between 20 and 50? 3. Does/did anyone in our family have mental retardation or learning problems, or have to attend a special school? 4. Have there been any early deaths in the family (including stillbirths, infant deaths and multiple miscarriages)? 5. Have any relatives had extreme or unexpected reactions to medications? Examine your genealogy research, too, for clues to relatives’ illnesses and causes of death. Record the information using the My Health Portrait Web-based program at http://familyhistory.hhs.gov, print out the family health history chart and take it along on your next checkup.   Money Doesn't Grow on Family Trees The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)—keeper of essential genealogical records such as censuses and immigration passenger lists—is awaiting news of its financial fate as the Office of Management and Budget reviews the agency’s 2007 federal funding over the next week or two. Potential funding deficits have genealogists concerned: Both the House and Senate budget proposals fall short of President Bush’s requested $289.605 million for the National Archives: The House allotted $281.605 million; the Senate, $285.913 million. Neither the president’s nor the House’s budget included funding for National Historical Publications and Records Commission grants. Bruce Craig, director of the National Coalition for History, blames federal budget deficits that lead lawmakers to rank NARA’s needs below other those of other governmental functions (see http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2006/0610/0610nch1.cfm). This summer’s drenching rains over the East Coast, which caused millions of dollars in flood damage to NARA facilities, didn’t help. NARA already has taken measures such as cutting hours, instituting a hiring freeze and reducing staff. Professional genealogists Marie Melchiori and Claire Bettag, who’ve met with NARA officials, say the agency needs $10 to $12 million more to meet its needs for 2007. They’re asking you to write your representatives and request full funding for NARA; see their report at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/11/nara_budget_iss.html. Having trouble tracking down those elusive ancestors? In this biweekly, Web-exclusive column, contributing editor Nancy Hendrickson points to new and helpful ways to do your computer-related genealogy research. This week, she writes about [ADD INFO HERE]. Read more at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/ancestornews/current.html. Hendrickson is a family historian, freelance writer and the author of the book Finding Your Roots Online, on sale now at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/store/display.asp?id=70583. Browse the archive of her AncestorNews columns at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/ancestornews/previous.html. Delayed Gratification This tip comes from the December 2006 Family Tree Magazine: Those born before the advent of birth certificates often obtained delayed birth certificates to get Social Security benefits or pensions. A person could apply for a delayed certificate by proving his age with other documents, such as baptismal certificates, signed affidavits, family Bibles or insurance papers. Delayed birth certificates may not be subject to the same privacy restrictions as regular certificates, and you may find them on microfilm. Run a keyword search of the Family History Library online catalog for delayed birth certificates to see if it has records for your ancestor’s birthplace and time period. You'll find more birth-record research advice in the December 20006 Family Tree Magazine. If you have a great idea for discovering, preserving or celebrating family history, e-mail us your tip. If we publish it, you'll win a free copy of the May 2006 Trace Your Family History, a special issue of Family Tree Magazine, also available for purchase online at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/mags/display.asp?id=1767. Overwhelmed by the number of family history-related Web sites popping up? FamilyTreeMagazine.com sorts through them all—whew!—to bring you only the very best. We recently recommended the following as Sites of the Week: • Historical Country Names http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/hist_country_names.htm Learn old-time names for present-day countries around the world. Then, read up about the country. • Mid Maryland Roots http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~midmdroots A great resource for Frederick County, Md., heritage, prized offerings here include abstracts of old court records, newspapers and marriage registers. • Hispanic Heritage http://www.gale.com/free_resources/chh Test your knowledge of Hispanic culture and study up on important Hispanic individuals and historical events. • Perry Castañeda Map Collection http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps Find current and historical maps for your ancestral homeland. This site offers maps for countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, the Americas and the United States. Petal Pushers, Take Two I played "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" with the Oct. 28 column's photo mystery—I asked the audience and phoned a friend. The millions haven't yet poured in, but I did learn a thing or two about this photo.  Find out what Family Tree Magazine photo expert Maureen A. Taylor learned at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/photos/current.htm. Taylor is the author of Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs, 2nd edition (Family Tree Books, $24.99). If you have a family photo mystery for Taylor to solve, check out our Submission Guidelines at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/photos/photohelp.htm. [Place] [Speaker] [Date] Location Topics: [Item] [Item] [More Info]. [Place] [Speaker] [Date] Location Topics: [Item] [Item] [More Info]. IRISH GENEALOGY. The best book on Irish genealogy is now even better! Check out the all-new, expanded Third Edition of TRACING YOUR IRISH ANCESTORS, by John Grenham. http://www.genealogical.com/products/Tracing%20Your%20Irish%20Ancestors/2385.html RootsMagic Genealogy Software - "An excellent choice for any genealogist" says Family Tree Magazine. Get a free trial copy at http://www.RootsMagic.com PRINTING & BINDING:  Archival hardbound books with 4-color ink-based  printing.   Over 53 years experience as bookbinders.  http://www.familyheritagepublishers.com DNA can help your genealogy research. There are good reasons why 9 out of 10 genealogists choose Family Tree DNA: we have the largest database in the world to match your sample with others and resolve your brick wall, and you can call us - we will help you choose the best test, and analyze your results: 713-868-1438. Genealogy Hotel Rates in Salt Lake - You will love the genealogy rates at the Holiday Inn-Downtown along with the free shuttles to & from the Family History Library.   www.holiday-inn.com/slc-downtown PUBLISH YOUR FAMILY HISTORY. Preserve and share your precious family research. Personal coaching. Many options.  www.GatewayPress.com Get Family Tree Magazine back issues at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/mags. Explore Family Tree Magazine E-mail Update past issues at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/newsletter/archive.html. Get free Family Tree News Service articles for your genealogy newsletter or Web site at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/ftns-subscribe.asp. Sponsor This Newsletter For information on sponsoring this newsletter or to receive a rate card, e-mail kelly.kleiner@fwpubs.com You have received this e-mail because you expressed interest in receiving updates about genealogy and genealogy products from Family Tree Magazine and Betterway Books by e-mail. Thanks for your subscription! You are currently subscribed as %%emailaddr%% To unsubscribe, send a blank message to %%email.unsub%% To change the address we send messages to, click here: http://fwpubs.sparklist.com/read/my_account/?forum=familytree Questions? 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