Roots Television | Og Blog

In this week’s lineup, Og is excited to share a new series of Irish videos he recently found online!  The videos are provided by Mike O'Laughlin and the Irish Genealogical Foundation. They have published the largest collection of Irish Family History books in the world since 1978, and more recently three Irish podcast series, including one on Irish genealogy. This is the first video of a 14-part series on their Irish Roots Café, which focuses on Irish family heritage. To access their podcasts, blog and Irish books, visit them at: www.irishroots.com.

The next set of videos are from Og’s friend, Eric Basir of Photo Grafix.  In this workshop, he talks about photo preservation, digital restoration and photo identification, and provides some extremely helpful tips and advice. Watch the first four parts of Eric’s 16-part workshop, and tune in next week for the next four videos!

Og is rounding out this week with a montage of media coverage from the New England Historic Genealogical Society's discoveries of a Helen Keller photograph and the relationships between Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

Oh and in case you missed them when they debuted last week, be sure to check out the Annie Moore ceremonies in New York and Cork, Ireland!

Until next week, good luck with all of your genealogical endeavors!

Og
RootsTelevision.com

Og is thrilled to share two videos from the Annie Moore dedication ceremonies that took place in Cork, Ireland and Queens, NY this past week. As a refresher, Annie Moore became an Irish-American historic icon as the first immigrant through Ellis Island in 1892. Her image will forever represent the millions who passed through Ellis Island in pursuit of the American dream. This dedication marks two years since genealogists, including our own Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, corrected history by unveiling her true identity and story.

The first video in the lineup is the memorial dedication ceremony for the unmarked gravesite at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York. Among the notable participants in the event were famed Irish tenor and New York City resident Ronan Tynan performing "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears," the iconic song about Ellis Island and Annie Moore written by Ireland's composer/lyricist Brendan Graham, who was also in attendance.

The second video shares the ceremony that took place in Cork, Ireland on October 10 as a plaque was placed on the last house that Annie Moore lived in before coming to America.

To round out this week’s lineup, join Arline Sachs as she discusses her trip to the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolson, Germany, the location of all Nazi records captured by the Allied Nations. For more information and additional videos produces by Sidney Sachs, please visit: http://tracingroots.nova.org

Lastly, Og also has a brand new tutorial from Eric Basir of PhotoGrafix that shows us how to take photos with accurate color, as well as correcting the color in photos after they are shot. This is a must-watch for genealogists!

Thanks for watching and Og hopes you enjoy this New Roots installment!

Og
RootsTelevision.com

Og has been busy preparing some more exciting videos for our RootsTelevision.com fans!

This week we are featuring an interview by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak with Senator Paula Benoit, Maine State Senate, about her role in getting an act passed that allows adult adoptees to access their original birth certificates. She explains the process to us, as well as some of her personal experiences with adoption.

We also have the second in a series of webisodes by Alannah Ryane as she traces her roots in Nova Scotia, Canada. This edition features her conversation with Iris Shea of the Mainland South Heritage Society.

Our next video is a two-part tutorial from our friend, Eric Basir of PhotoGrafix. In this series he shows us some cool techniques for scanning and restoring documents.

Lastly, in honor of Annie Moore, Og is featuring the four-part series, Making Up History: Searching for Annie Moore. This play tells the story of Annie Moore, the first immigrant through Ellis Island, and genealogist Megan Smolenyak's search for Annie's true identity.

Thanks for watching!
Og from RootsTelevision.com

FGS Interview #11:
Dick Eastman interviews David Lambert, the Online Genealogist at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, about his job and the ways he helps other genealogists.  He also talks about some exciting stuff he has done with military research, American Indian research and as a baseball historian.

FGS Interview #12:
Dick Eastman talks with Mark Halpern, Program Chair, and David Mink, Co-Chair, about the IAJGS Conference taking place in Philadelphia, August 2009. The conference will include a film festival, computer workshops, and much more.

FGS Interview #13:
Leland Meitzler, Editor of Everton's Genealogical Helper, talks with Dick Eastman about the features of the magazine and the online edition, as well as his blog, GenealogyBlog.com, that provides news from the world of genealogy.

Og from RootsTelevision.com

Another week of videos from the 2008 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference! 

FGS Interview #8:
Dick Eastman talks with Blaine Bettinger, The Genetic Genealogist, about using DNA technology to confirm ancestry and his eBook, "I Have The Results of My Genetic Genealogy Test, Now What?"

FGS Interview #9:
Dick Eastman interviews Diane Haddad, Managing Editor, and Allison Stacy, Editor, of Family Tree Magazine about recent changes to the website, including reorganized content, videos, podcasts and a weekly newsletter.

FGS Interview #10:
Judith Lucey, Assistant Archivist at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, talks with Dick Eastman about the one-mile worth of unpublished records in their collection, which was started in 1845.

We have one more week of FGS videos on the way! Stay tuned!

Og from RootsTelevision.com

As promised, Og has three more exciting videos from the 2008 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference. 

But first, Og wants to let you know that the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has incorporated a player of RootsTelevision.com videos into their website! Check it out! Oh, and if there are any other societies interested in incorporating video on their own websites, let Og know and we’ll get that going lickety-split.

OK, now back to FGS. Here are this week’s interviews

FGS Interview #5:

Dick Eastman interviews Paul Nauta, Manager of Public Affairs for FamilySearch, about the Family History Library, the website, and the latest developments with digitizing, transcribing and sharing millions of records on http://pilot.familysearch.org.

FGS Interview #6:

Dick Eastman’s next interview is with Feargal O’Donnell, Vice Chairman of the Irish Family History Foundation, about the availability of Irish records -- especially new ones online and myths about their existence and non-existence.  For those of Irish ancestry, he gives cause for optimism!

FGS Interview #7:

This week’s last interview from FGS is with Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective. She talks with Dick Eastman about her recent appearance on the Today Show, an article about her in the Wall Street Journal, and her upcoming History Channel series, The Photo Detective. Way to go, Maureen!

And guess what? There are more FGS videos coming next week! Og is so excited and hopes you are, too! Thanks for watching!

Og from RootsTelevision.com

Og has been busy with the 2008 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference that took place last week in Philadelphia. It was a blast, and to start off our coverage, we have a set of four interviews to share. That’s right, four! Og hopes you enjoy them as much as he did:

FGS Interview #1:
Dick Eastman interviews Tim Sullivan, CEO of The Generations Network, about Ancestry.com’s World Archives Project and its partnership with genealogical societies and individuals to help make historical record collections available to the public. You can visit http://ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject to learn more about the project.

FGS Interview #2:
Dick Eastman’s next interview is with Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and they talk about the Unclaimed Persons initiative, including the recent RootsTelevision video and brand-new Unclaimed Persons website: www.unclaimedpersons.org. You should check it out and join the group of 350+ dedicated volunteers!

Dick also talks to Megan about an article she wrote for Ancestry Magazine about who would be the king or queen of America today if George Washington had been king. Now THAT is interesting!

FGS Interview #3:
This interview is with Brian Donovan of Eneclann, an Irish genealogy research and resource company. They discuss recent revelations about Barack Obama’s Irish Kearney relatives, including the fact that they were once wigmakers and heavily into Dublin politics. Want to know more about Eneclann? Visit www.eneclann.ie. For more information about Obama’s Irish roots, visit www.irishorigins.com.

FGS Interview #4:
And this week’s last FGS interview is with Melinde Lutz Sanborn, FASG. She talks to Dick Eastman about being a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists and about a new genealogy certificate program available through Boston University. The program is ideal for anyone who wants to develop their knowledge and skills in conducting genealogy research. It’s a 14-week course and even provides hands-on training. You should check it out!

Stay tuned for more videos from FGS coming next week, and thanks for watching!

Og from RootsTelevision.com

As you get ready for Fall, it’s a great time to work on organizing and digitizing your family photos. Check out this two part tutorial by Eric Basir of PhotoGraphix on flatbed scanning. He shows us some great ways to get the best possible images from our original photos.

And listen to Allie Louise Almore-Randle talk about why she loves the SoCal Jamboree so much. From exploring her roots to connecting with other genealogists to meeting new people she would never have met before, she has some great stories to share!

Og hopes everyone had a terrific Labor Day weekend and is ready to buckle down and get back to work...and get ready for the FGS conference this week. It’s sure to be a blast!

Og from RootsTelevision.com

This week on RootsTelevision.com...

Ever wonder how to take a DNA test? Virginia Family Tree, in partnership with Family Tree DNA, is tracking genetic genealogy from the consumer's point of view. From ordering the kit to taking the test and sending it back, they are documenting those steps, in real time, and reporting them back to viewers of the blog. This video is an actual DNA test in progress, used to demonstrate the simple and painless nature of collecting a cheek swab. Updates to the test can be found at the Virginia Family Tree blog. And not only does the video show you how to take the test, but also how to do it sideways. Og got a good laugh out of that one!

Then you won’t want to miss Chris Haley, nephew of “Roots” author Alex Haley, taking us on a tour of his mouth as he takes a DNA test of this own.

And speaking of Chris Haley, here’s a video of his unforgettable entrance at the Federation of Genealogical Societies annual conference last year. Og can only imagine what he has in store for us at this year’s conference, taking place on September 3-6 in Philadelphia, PA!

This week also features a video from the SoCal Jamboree with cousins Evelyn Duke and Betty Hutson sharing the story of how they connected through genealogy...and still research together seven years later!

And be sure to check out Alannah Ryane’s first webisode in her By Her Roots series, "The Search for Peter Martin." Alannah brings us along on her journey to explore her ancestry in Nova Scotia.

Don’t forget to browse through the rest of the featured videos this week on RootsTelevision.com!

Og from RootsTelevision.com

This week on Roots Television:

NEW! An Adoption Story: Marilyn Andrus shares her adoption story at the 2008 SoCal Jamboree.

NEW! Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness: Bridgett Schneider shares her experiences volunteering with Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) at the 2008 SoCal Jamboree.

Ancestors: Vital Records: Episode 205 from the popular PBS Ancestors series. A good starting point for your research is with the official vital records - the birth, marriage and death information recorded in the locality where your relative lived. Learn what vital records are and how to use them, including birth records, death records, obituaries, funeral home records, marriage records, and international records. And follow the inspirational journey of a family with Italian roots as they return to their homeland and celebrate their Italian heritage in Sicily. To purchase copies of this program on VHS or DVD, visit Ancestors.com

Connecting Families Across the World: In this entry to our Wild Roots! contest, Brad Jencks, a student at Bingham High School, does his part to preserve the Bingham City Cemetery.

Down Under Florida: The Milton Family: Genealogy Guys George Morgan and Drew Smith take us Down Under Tampa, Florida to learn more about the tragedy behind the Milton family tombstones.

Giving Back - Genealogy Style: This video from Elyse90505 is all about how to give back to the genealogy community and earn yourself some good genealogy karma points.

Linwood Plantation: Bernadine Anderson, a descendant of Linwood slaves, works to preserve the Linwood Plantation in Louisiana.

Online Vital Records: Lecture by Loretta Evans at the 2006 Genealogy and Technology Conference. Loretta discusses birth records, death records, public and private indexes, and tips for what to do when you can't find the records you want online.

Tennessee Tears: An interview with George John Curtis, author of Tennessee Tears, the unbelievable true story of an abused crippled orphan who searches 42 years for his biological family. He finds his dream only to discover that he was one of the victims of the Tennessee Children's Home Scandal.

Og from RootsTelevision.com