Roots Television | Og Blog

This week, we've added two SCGS Jamboree interviews with representatives of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. First, D. Brenton Simons, Executive Director of NEHGS, talks to Matthew Poe about the launch of a new website, www.newyorkancestors.org. The extensive collection of New York genealogical resources includes probate records, newspapers and periodicals, vital records, and New York genealogies and biographies. You also won't want to miss Brenton’s new book, Boston Beheld: Antique Town and Country Views.

Then, Matthew Poe interviews Chris Child about his research into the ancestry of our presidential candidates...and the surprises he uncovered!

And finally, Eric Basir from Photo Graphix, shows us how to scan and photograph original photos and documents for optimum quality. If you want to polish your skills, make sure you catch the two-part series!

Og from RootsTelevision.com

Og has some great videos for all our genies this week! We're featuring two interviews by Dick Eastman -- one at the 2008 SCGS Jamboree with Ron Arons, author of The Jews of Sing Sing, and another with JoAnne Rockower of Geni.com at the 2008 WDYTYA Live! event in London.

And you won't want to miss this three-part series of CBC's Who Do You Think You Are? featuring Chantal Kreviazuk. An internationally respected, Juno award-winning singer, songwriter and musician, Chantal was born in Winnipeg, originally from a Manitoba farming community. This series highlights her journey back to her prairie heritage, and also reveals the source of her musical and creative spirit. You won't want to miss it!

Another great video highlighted this week is Arlene Sachs' talk with Sonia Rosa-Velez and Eliud Bonilla about what happened when their families had their DNA tested.

And to round out this week, we included a touching nostalgic montage that celebrates families.

Og hopes you enjoy this edition of New Roots Tuesday!

Og is simply ecstatic! For the second year in a row, Family Tree Magazine has named RootsTelevision to its annual 101 Best Web Sites for genealogy list for 2008. Being listed with remarkable sites like Ancestry.com, Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter, and Cyndi’s List is just thrilling!

A synopsis of each winning site appears in the September 2008 Family Tree Magazine, which goes on sale at newsstands nationwide July 15. Be sure to grab a copy!

At the Southern California Genealogical Society’s 2008 Jamboree we asked a new member of the Society, Matthew Poe, to do some interviewing (and represent a whole new generation of genies!). Matthew did a great job interviewing JoAnne Rockower, Director of Community Outreach for Geni.com.

We’ve also included a segment from African American Lives 2 that ran earlier this year on PBS. It features Skip Gates (Henry Louis Gates, Jr.) and Kathleen Henderson, who was the winner of a nationwide contest that was held for a non-celebrity to participate in the show. RootsTelevision.com’s own Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak did the sleuthing that led to an unexpected discovery for both Skip and Kathleen!

This week, we’re also featuring a video on Hungarian Family History Centers. Og admits that this isn’t the finest footage he’s seen, but still it’s interesting -- who knew there were so many Family History Centers in Hungary??

Lastly, Denise Olson of the Family Matters blog, provided this video tutorial that demonstrates Firefox search tools. Family researchers can take advantage of these tools to make their search efforts easier. And don’t miss the bonus Firefox Search Tools Fact Sheet [PDF 1.2MB] that provides step-by-step instructions for the tasks covered in the tutorial!

We've started posting interviews from last weekend's Genealogy Jamboree, hosted by the Southern California Genealogical Society.

Check out Dick Eastman's introduction to the event.

We also met an up and coming genealogist named Matthew Poe at this year's event. So we thought we'd turn the tables on our good friend Dick and interview him for a change! Stay tuned for more videos to come!

Og from RootsTelevision.com

It's a feel-good genealogy week at Roots Television. First, in honor of the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, we're excited to feature a tribute to Old Glory in pictures, created an narrated by the Photo Detective (aka Maureen Taylor).

We're also proud to present Giving Back - Genealogy Style. In the video, 19-year-old Elyse shares her thoughts and tips about giving back through genealogy:

As you have probably figured out by now, alot of genealogy is through sharing of information - usually for free of cost. People share information out of the kindness of their hearts. (And if you havent experienced this just yet - don't worry - you will). So in this video I give suggestions on ways to give back. This is by no means includes all the things you could do - but it gives some suggestions.

And finally, learn more about the U.K.'s largest genealogy company, S&N Genealogy, in Dick Eastman's interview with Nigel Bayley at the 2008 WDYTYA? Live! show in London.

Okay, Og's a bit behind posting his New Roots Tuesday lineup this week. To be honest, he's been caught up in Unclaimed Persons land. But as promised, here are this week's New and Featured Videos.

First, we have a short snippet about Alfred/Albert Crazy Buffalo, an Unclaimed Persons case that has puzzled coroner Joe Brennan since 1994. It was the first unclaimed persons case he encountered after being elected Coroner. Every coroner we've talked to has a case (or two or three!) that stands out, for various reasons. This is the one Joe Brennan keeps coming back to. It's a John Doe/Unclaimed Persons combo, but maybe someone out there will have a fresh approach!

We're also running a video featuring Miriam Midkiff, a teacher and writer of genealogy who uses Google Book Search in her personal research to put more context into the lives of her ancestors - including one relative who once trained a roller-skating bear.

And if you're wondering when Roots Central will be updated, just give Og another hour or two and he'll have that ready, too!

Og from RootsTelevision.com

This Tuesday, we have two new videos from this year's Who Do You Think You Are? Live! event in London.

First, Dick Eastman interviews Paul Blake, Event Coordinator for the Federation of Family History Societies. The FFHS "The Federation of family History Societies (FFHS) is an educational charity which exists to represent, advise and support its membership of family history societies and other genealogical organisations world-wide."

And if you've ever wondered what life was like for an RAF pilot during WWI, don't miss Ravell's First Flight, a comedy re-enactment performed at the conference.

Og from RootsTelevision.com

The response to the Unclaimed Persons project has been extraordinary. In the first two days of being an active group on Facebook, group members have solved two cases that had been sitting unsolved for years. If you'd like to participate, you can check out the Unclaimed Person's group for more information. We post our new cases on the Discussion Board in Facebook, where volunteers are free to collaborate with one another as they research these mysteries.

To make sure the process flows as smoothly as possible, our group members have helped us brainstorm a few guidelines for working with the project:

1. We'll create a separate discussion board topic for each case, titled with the case number and the name of the deceased. Please post all research findings here and not as comments on the case-related photos or The Wall. Hopefully, this will help us avoid duplicating efforts.

2. If you'd like to email Megan or other Unclaimed Persons administrators about a case, please use the email address at unclaimedpersons@rootstelevision.com This will help us make sure your questions and/or tips don't get buried in our inboxes.

3. Please do not post contact details and other private information about living persons, such as likely next of kin, in the public forum. Once you have those details, email them to unclaimedpersons@rootstelevision.com

4. Please do NOT contact coroner's offices directly, unless it's specified in a case that they have requested this. We're not trying to be control freaks here, but several coroner's offices have requested that we act as a point of contact and forward them the compiled information. We want to make sure that we don't overwhelm them with our enthusiasm!

5. NEVER contact possible relatives. Instead, provide the information to the relevant coroner's office via this Facebook site and/or unclaimedpersons@rootstelevision.com

All researchers are welcome. Even if you're new to genealogy, this might be a perfect place for you to see top researchers at work and learn a few tips and tricks.

Og from RootsTelevision.com

No one was more excited than Og when Unclaimed Persons cracked the Joseph Higgs case. But now it seems, the project has not only helped a lost brother come home, it's broken down a brick wall in one of our viewer's research.

This is amazing! I received an email invite to join Megan's Unclaimed Persons group an hour ago and after I signed up, I watched her research video on Joseph Higgs on Roots TV. My husband's grandmother was Melvira Higgs. To our amazement, we found out Alpha Higgs, Joseph's father, was Melvira's first cousin. We had no information on Alpha's descendants, but now thanks to Megan and Roots TV, we can fill in the gaps. Thank you so much for the work you're doing! We'll be sure to share this video with the rest of the family.

Her story just highlights why this project is so important. Bringing these unclaimed persons homes reunites families in more ways than we may ever know. If you'd like to help solve more Unclaimed Persons mysteries, join the Unclaimed Persons group and check the discussion board to see our active cases.

Og from RootsTelevision.com