For $subst('Recip.EmailAddr') Jan. 5, 2006 Welcome to 2006, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful New Year's celebration and you're getting your genealogy research off to a great start. For a little encouragement, check our just-out February 2006 issue to get a tip-a-day genealogy calendar that'll last you all year long. It's New Year's resolution time, and one lucky genealogist will get help from Family Tree Magazine keeping his/her resolution to get organized. Yes, we have the much-anticipated results of our organization contest—find them below. —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. This Is the Year I'll Organize My Research . . . I Mean It! Inflation Hits the Family History Library A New Route to Sanborn Maps HeritageQuest Online Gone from Godfrey AncestorNews: Blog for Free Tip of the Week: Up for Bid Worthwhile Web Sites Identifying Family Photographs: Looking Back Speakers' Schedule Advertiser Special Offers This Is the Year I'll Organize My Research . . . I Mean It! In the October 2005 Family Tree Magazine, we launched a search for the messiest genealogist in hopes of helping him straighten up his act. We were pleased (and appalled) to receive cries for help from readers whose files spilled out of desk drawers, who'd run out of colors for their color-coding systems, whose birth certificates have disappeared into a paper abyss. All of you have our sympathies, but Bruce Mencer won a special place in our hearts. His appeal (underscored by photos including the one here) tells how he lost the Family Tree Magazine with the contest entry instructions—though his futile search uncovered three versions of Family Tree Maker software and a ticket to a ball game. (We took pity on Mercer and sent him another magazine.) He'll clean up with a prize package including: Sharon DeBartolo Carmack's Organizing Your Family History Search and Katherine Scott Sturdevant's Organizing and Preserving Your Heirloom Documents from Family Tree Books Clooz data-organizing software A research tote, tab dividers, clipboard, source citation notes, vital-records stamp and reference clipboard from Fun Stuff for Genealogists Color Track research filing system from Kindred Trails Our two runners-up have problems of their own. Pam Christie's files are encroaching on a second house, and military wife Catherine Dunick loses stuff every time the movers pack up her family for another relocation. ("I've had kitchen utensils packed with my clothes," she says. "Toilet paper wrapped up in rugs. I once had a flower pot packed—with the flower and dirt still in it—with videos and cds.") Each of these women will receive Organizing Your Family History Search and Organizing and Preserving Your Heirloom Documents. Congratulations to the winners! Inflation Hits the Family History Library The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Library (FHL), based in Salt Lake City, will raise its microfilm rental fees Jan. 15. New loans and renewals of current loans will rise from $3.25 to $5.50. The fees, last raised in 1997, include return postage. Rates vary outside the United States. You can rent FHL microfilm through one of the 3,400 branch Family History Centers (FHC) around the world. To find one near you, use the Find a Family History Center Near Your Home feature on the FamilySearch home page. Yo can get more information on FHCs at http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Home/FAQ/frameset_faq.asp?FAQ=faq_fhc.asp. A New Route to Sanborn Maps The New England Historic Genealogical Society (http://www.newenglandancestors.org) has added a new carrot to its membership benefits: online access to 660,000 Sanborn fire insurance maps of more than 12,000 American towns from 1867 to 1970. Highly detailed Sanborn maps, originally made to help insurance companies assess fire risk, show building locations, outlines, dimensions and construction materials; window and door positions; addresses, property boundaries; and street names and widths. You can get the maps on microfilm at most major libraries, but the electronic form gives you flexibility to zoom in and out, move across a page and even layer maps from different years. The lowest membership level that includes online access is the $75 per year research membership; rates and benefits go up from there. The Digital Sanborn Maps collection isn't available through an institutional membership. HeritageQuest Online Gone from Godfrey Middletown, Conn.-based Godfrey Memorial Library (http://www.godfrey.org), known for its bargain-basement-priced online access to a range of genealogical databases, is no longer offering its members access to HeritageQuest Online. HeritageQuest Online's databases of census records, local and family histories and other genealogical information are available only through subscribing libraries. In the past, Godfrey's $35 access to that data was a major draw for members, but an increasing number of genealogists have discovered they can search HeritageQuest Online for free from their home computers through public and state libraries. More than 2,600 US libraries subscribe to HeritageQuest Online. If you became a "Godfrey Scholar" prior to Dec. 31, you can use HeritageQuest Online until your subscription runs out or until the end of this year. New Godfrey subscribers won't receive access. The library's home page has two search portals to handle both types of members. Potential Godfrey Scholars needn't worry they've missed the boat on membership benefits, says library director Richard Black. "We will be using the funds that have become available as a result of losing [HeritageQuest Online] to add new and exciting sites." (Nonmembers can access some of Godfrey's online content.) Two are American National Biography Online and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online, which have a total of 68,000 biographies of people from around the world. AncestorNews: Blog for Free You've probably heard about blogs in news articles over the past few years. Short for Weblogs, blogs are simply online diaries that people keep on every subject imaginable. Find out how blogs can aid your research at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/ ancestornews/current.html. AncestorNews columnist Nancy Hendrickson is the author of Finding Your Roots Online, on sale now at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/store/display.asp?id=70583. Browse past AncestorNews columns at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/ancestornews/previous.html. Up for Bid This week's tip comes from the February 2006 Family Tree Magazine: To find books and other artifacts related to your family, run eBay searches on genealogy plus your family surnames and the places you research. Click Save This Search so you'll get an e-mail when an item you might want comes up for bidding. Find a genealogy research tip for every day of 2006 in the February 2006 Family Tree Magazine, available for purchase at your local newsstand or from http://www.familytreemagazine.com. If you have a great idea for discovering, preserving or celebrating family history, e-mail it to ftmnews-editor@fwpubs.com with "TIP OF THE WEEK" in the subject line. If we publish it, you'll win a free copy of our special issue, the 2006 Genealogy Guidebook. It's available from http://www.familytreemagazine.com. 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: • Hamburg Emigration Index http://www.linktoyourroots.hamburg.de/index Search this index of emigrants from one of Germany's major ports of departure. • Heritage Pursuit http://www.heritagepursuit.com This Web portal links to Ohio biographical sketches and county histories, as well as several general genealogy sites. • Scottish Emigration Online http://www.scan.org.uk/researchrtools/emigration.htm Uncover records of your Scottish ancestors by searching or browsing the emigration records database. Looking Back It's hard to believe but the first Identifying Family Photographs appeared online Feb. 8, 2000—almost six years ago. Even after all this time I love receiving photos from readers so much, I open emails like they're wrapped Christmas presents. Thanks to you, I've been living my dream of studying family photographs. It's been an interesting journey. Continue reading at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/photos/ current.htm. In this Web-exclusive column, expert photo historian Maureen A. Taylor helps readers analyze old family pictures. If you have a family photo mystery for Taylor to solve, check out our submission guidelines at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/photos/photohelp.htm. SugarLand, Texas Emily Anne Croom Jan. 14 Fort Bend Genealogical Society Workshop Topic: It's Not a Brick Wall Until... For more information, contact Frances Sisemore at (281) 762-8029. Cincinnati, Ohio Allison Stacy Jan. 14 Madeira Branch, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Topic: Secrets of Successful Web Surfers: Hints for Seven Popular Free Genealogy Sites For more information, see http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/branches/madeira.html. Haddon Heights, NJ Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak Jan. 17 Haddon Heights Historical Society Workshop Topic: Remembering Our Ancestors For more information, see http://www.theflagship.net/hhhistorical. Brooklyn, NY Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak Jan. 21 Haddon Heights Historical Society Workshop Topic: Trace Your Roots with DNA For more information, see http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org. Lake Jackson, Texas Emily Anne Croom Feb. 18 Brazosport Genealogical Society seminar Topics: Territorial Papers of the United States Location, Location, Location: Using Maps in Genealogy Timely Tools for Genealogists Their Place in Time: Broadening the Perspective Beyond Dates and Places For more information, contact Gary Gantt at ggantt@brazosport.edu.   Order your free genealogy posters today.  Visit www.chromosomal-labs.com to place you order.  There is a $1.95 per poster domestic shipping and handling fee.  Please allow 1 to 4 weeks for delivery.  Chromosomal Laboratories, Inc. PRINTING & BINDING:  Archival hardbound books with 4-color ink-based printing.   Over 53 years experience as bookbinders.  http://www.familyheritagepublishers.com Citing genealogy sources off the Internet is a cinch with QUICKSHEET: CITING ONLINE HISTORICAL RESOURCES EVIDENCE! STYLE, by Elizabeth Mills https://www.genealogical.com/item_detail.asp?afid=&ID=3849 GenMerge, the Genealogy Merge Utility, is the best merge tool available to clean your family data and merge duplicates. Now shipping version 2.0 with a new, improved user interface. Buy your copy on-line at www.genmerge.com 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 RootsMagic Genealogy Software - "An excellent choice for any genealogist" says Family Tree Magazine. Get a free trial copy at http://www.RootsMagic.com UNIQUE SCANDINAVIAN HERITAGE TOURS Visit ancestral villages, parish churches, archives, connect with family.  Fluent guides and genealogy experts included.  www.scandgen.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 kworkman@longshoremedia.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! 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