Online databases allow us to research our family histories quickly and easily. Unfortunately, they have also made it quick and easy to pick up data that proves to be incorrect. This presentation will help us ensure that the family history information we gather online is accurate.
For your Zoom invitation, just go to our website, bigenealogy.org, and click on EVENTS the day before the meeting.
I know you’ve received a flurry of emails from MyHeritage over the past week and I promise this is the last in the series 😉 I just want to make sure that all these important announcements don’t get lost in the shuffle, so I’m providing a quick recap:
LiveStory: At our RootsTech keynote, we announced the release of LiveStory: an incredible new feature that makes your family photos speak and creates amazing video biographies of your ancestors! Click here to read the blog post announcement, here to try it out, and here to see an awesome video about it, which we invite you to share.
Blast From My Pastpodcast: On March 2, we launched our first-ever podcast, featuring stories of people whose lives were changed by what they discovered through MyHeritage. Click here to read more about it and here to follow and listen to the podcast.
Family Tree Timeline: Another big feature we launched in time for RootsTech is Family Tree Timeline, a new view of your family tree that allows you to explore how your family history unfolded over time. Click here to learn more.
1950 U.S. Census hub: On March 3, we launched a brand-new content hub gearing up to the release of the 1950 U.S. Census next month. It’s a fantastic resource for educating people on census records and what they can teach you about your family history. We would greatly appreciate it if you could include it in any list of resources you may be compiling! Click here to check it out.
Filae family tree profiles: At the end of February, we added 269 million family tree profile records from Filae to MyHeritage. You can read more about it here.
I think that should cover it! I look forward to hearing what you think, and please help us let the world know about these fantastic additions to the world of genealogy.
Enjoy!
Daniel Horowitz Genealogy Expert
MyHeritage Ltd., P.O.Box 50, 3 Ariel Sharon Blvd., Or Yehuda, Israel 6037606, Israel, +972-3-6280000
Please join the Whatcom Genealogical Society on Monday, March 14th, at 2pm at the Ferndale Pioneer Pavilion, 2207 Cherry St., Ferndale, WA when our guest speaker will be award-winning local author, Susan E. Greisen. Susan will be discussing the process she used to create her recent memoir, In Search of Pink Flamingos: A Woman’s Quest For Forgiveness and Unconditional Love. The book begins with 8 year old Susan living on a remote farm in Nebraska, then takes you on a vivid journey through Africa and ends with 63 year old Susan back in the U.S.
Susan will share with you her writing process and how she collected and recalled the detailed scenes written in her book. She will share helpful tips on how you can create a powerful story. Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the meeting.
Susan was a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia and Tonga, and has journeyed to over forty countries on six continents. She is a published poet, author and photographer. Her stories and poems can be found in seven anthologies and two of her photographs were selected by the BBC online news. Learn more at susangreisen.com.
Doing German (and other country) Records When You Don’t Speak the Language. While focusing on German records for those who live in America and don’t speak German, this program will also assist people looking at ancestral records from other areas of the world. There are many helpful websites and tools to assist in translation, locating people and places, and narrowing your search. This does NOT deal with how to transcribe Gothic German Script but will give direction on where those helps can be found. Don’t stop your research just because you came to the ocean! Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, former So. Cal. college speech professor (MA – Speech Communication; PhD – Folklore), is a national speaker and author. A member of the DAR, she is the former director and current staff trainer for the Corona, CA Family History Center, has worked on background research for two genealogy television programs, and was a host for podcasts on social history. A former Board-Certified genealogist with over 40 years of research experience, she is a former board member of APG and past president of its So. Cal. Chapter; President of the Corona Gen. Society, as well as webmaster for that same organization; and has participated on a number of other society boards. Jean writes the “Aunty Jeff” column for the Informer, the newsletter of the Jefferson County NY Genealogical Society. Her website: circlemending.org.
WHEN: March 17, 2022 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM WHERE: ZOOM COST: Members $20 – Non-members $25 Sign up & Pay: Come into HQRL at 1007 Main Street, Sumner, WA 98390 or Call (253)863-1806 OR go to hqrl.com and sign up on line.
Members must log in to the members page and go to the hqrl store in order to obtain the discount.
Please join with the Tri-City Genealogical Society on Wednesday March 9 at 7 p.m. on Zoom (see below for link) for our March general meeting. We will start with a round table discussion on what presentations people most enjoyed and/or found informative from the recent RootsTech 2022 event. We may then share some of these presentations at future meetings.
The main presentation will be by Mags Gaulden entitled Using WikiTree’s DNA Features in Your Family History Research. Mags is a Professional Genealogist specializing in Genetic Genealogy as founder of Grandma’s Genes in Ottawa. WikiTree is one of the Global family Trees available online that works collaboratively to have an accurate, single-family tree. You may have heard of WikiTree, but did you also know that WikiTree does DNA as well? WikiTree has very robust DNA features which can identify testers who may match you in the DNA connections section of an ancestor’s profile. We will work the features and show you how to further your family history research using WikiTree and its DNA features.
RootsTech 2022 is here! Enjoy the world’s largest family history conference March 3 – 5, 2022, all virtual and free of charge Get started athttps://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/home
Would you like to discuss and share your RootsTech discoveries with us? We have a communication forum set up just for that purpose at https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Conferences. To make best use of the group, mention your RootsTech display name so that people can find you and create a connection. To participate, click the Join button, and then remember to click reply and send (add no text) the email probe from Groups.io. If Groups.io asks you to login, you don’t need a password! Just click “send me a link” — and then click that link.
A Special Invite for You Is Just Around the Corner
Spring is not far away and with its arrival, the SKCGS Planning Committee will be emailing the society’s planning survey to both members as well as non-members who attend our sessions. This will be your chance to tell us about your interests and talents and where you would like to see your society go and grow. Watch for more information as spring draws closer …
MARCH – EARLY APRIL 2022 MEETINGS & EVENTS
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PROGRAM UPDATES
All meetings except the Research Group are virtual
Live transcription (captioning) is available during our Zoom meetings by request
CANCELED – Family Tree Maker Interest Group March 5, 2022 meeting – no meeting this month so that you may spend time at the RootsTech conference
Monday, March 14, 2022 ⋅ 1:00pm – 3:00pm PT Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (virtual) MyHeritage DNA Tools MyHeritage provides useful tools to those who have tested or uploaded their DNA to that site, and linked their kit to a tree. How can these tools help your research? This group is for genealogists who use DNA data as part of their research. Join for meeting invitations and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Genetic-Genealogy
Friday, March 18, 2022, 1:00pm – 3:00pm PT Research Group (in-person) For SKCGS members Kent Family History Center 12817 SE 256th St., Kent, WA Seating is limited RSVP REQUIRED to Winona at w.laird@skcgs.org
Saturday, March 19, 2022, 9:30am PT social time; 10:00am – 11:30am PT program SKCGS General Meeting (virtual) Alexis Hacker Scholz presents “The Riches of Probate” Many genealogy researchers are familiar with the concept of wills and identification of heirs when someone dies. But the probate process can produce other records that are equally valuable. While including wills, the focus of this presentation is to shed light on the range of probate records and illustrate how they can enrich your research.
Alexis Hacker Scholz fell in love with genealogy while sitting at the feet of her Great-Aunt Bess, guardian and storyteller of her maternal family lore. Raised in a military family, Alexis has lived throughout the United States as well as in Turkey. Her career in information has included newspapers, magazines, technical writing, and the internet. When not researching or writing, you can find her in the garden, the kitchen, or project room, and always with a book and her animals at hand. She currently serves as vice president for the South King County Genealogical Society.
Technical User Group (virtual) Charting with LucidChart for Genealogy
Carol Friedel will demonstrate LucidChart. TUG is for sharing knowledge and learning about technology tools, media, apps and websites. Join for meeting invitations and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/TUG
Monday, March 28, 2022 ⋅ 1:00pm – 3:00pm PT Genealogy Chat(virtual) Meet up and chat about genealogy subjects and topics. We have no agenda; we just like one another! For meeting invitations and discussion, join https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Society
Friday, April 1, 2022, 12:30pm – 2:30 pm PT EGS German Interest Group: “Useful Tools for those with German Ancestors” by Dana Palmer, CG®, CGL(SM) You don’t have to be a German expert to read your German ancestors’ records. This presentation shows online resources that can help you be successful and most of them are free to use. Visitors welcome and can request Zoom link no later than March 30th at https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/contact/
Saturday, April 2, 2022, 10:00am – 12:00pm PT Family Tree Maker Users Group (virtual) Question & Answer. Each month, we will learn about using the features of FTM. Go to https://skcgs.groups.io/g/FTMUG for meeting link, meeting reminders and discussion.
Tuesday, April 5, 2022, 6:30pm PT SKCGS Board of Directors Meeting (virtual) SKCGS Board Meeting. All SKCGS members are invited to attend; only Directors may vote. Write to Board@skcgs.org for the meeting link.
MEMBERSHIP: We welcome guests to our meetings and special interest groups, which are free. Naturally we hope that visitors will want to become members. Support like yours helps us to educate and engage with our community to foster interest in family and local history. Regarding our programs, even if and when we can meet again in person, we will continue with some virtual programs. You can find more information about membership at our website at http://skcgs.org/membership.
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As we just announced in our RootsTech keynote address, I’m pleased to introduce LiveStory: an incredible new feature that allows you to create animated videos of your ancestors telling their life stories. This feature was developed using AI technology pioneered by D-ID, the company that helped us bring you Deep Nostalgia™ last year. Here’s a short and fun introduction to LiveStory video.
Imagine watching a realistic simulation of how your great-grandfather may have looked and sounded telling the story of his life. That’s exactly what you can do with LiveStory.
You can easily create a LiveStory from scratch, all you need is a photo and a short narrative written in the first person, and you can create a LiveStory in just minutes! But those who already have family trees on MyHeritage are in luck, because MyHeritage can create an automatic LiveStory for you by pulling details and photos from your tree. You can edit the narrative and add chapters and photos, customize the voice, and preview the result as much as you like until your LiveStory is ready to share with your family and friends.
Feel free to use the above graphic when spreading the word (and video)… and of course, share your LiveStories far and wide! I can’t wait to see what you do with it.
Enjoy!
Daniel Horowitz Genealogy Expert
MyHeritage Releases LiveStory, A Groundbreaking Feature That Automatically Creates Video Biographies, Using D-ID Pioneered AI Technology
Tel Aviv, Israel, and Lehi, Utah, March 3, 2022 — MyHeritage, the leading global service for discovering your past and empowering your future, and Creative Reality™ startup D-ID, announced today the release of LiveStory, a groundbreaking new feature that creates captivating video biographies. LiveStory automatically produces an animated video of a user’s ancestor telling their life story, weaving together photos and details of their life into a narrative that is told by a speaking portrait of the person.
LiveStory is powered by some of the most advanced AI technologies available today. The technology for the speaking portrait was licensed by MyHeritage from D-ID, a company specializing in video reenactment using deep learning. MyHeritage first integrated D-ID’s technology inDeep Nostalgia™ to animate the faces in historical photos. Deep Nostalgia™ launched in February 2021 to wide acclaim and became a global sensation. MyHeritage soared to the #1 spot in the app stores in over 30 countries, and since its launch, nearly 100 million animations have been created. With LiveStory, MyHeritage and D-ID take this concept further by adding audio and building a compelling narrative of a person’s life events. The narrative is created automatically from the user’s family tree on MyHeritage, or entered manually, and is converted to high-quality audio using text-to-speech technology. Cutting-edge reenactment technology then animates the person’s face and mouth to speak the audio by generating a realistic lip sync. The animation is automatically enhanced with photos curated from the family tree, or uploaded and paired with the narrative. This results in short and engaging videos that users can download, share directly with family and friends, and post on social media.
Where Deep Nostalgia™ amazed millions by animating the faces of beloved ancestors, its successor, LiveStory, gives voice to one’s most interesting family stories in a remarkable new way. LiveStory is fully customizable; the narrative, photographs, and voice can all be edited and previewed until the desired result is achieved. LiveStory currently supports 31 languages, dozens of dialects, and hundreds of voice personas, as well as male and female voice options.
MyHeritage has established a policy to prevent abuse of the technology and the creation of “deep fakes”. LiveStory is intended to be used only on photos of deceased people, typically one’s own ancestors, and should never be used on a photo of a living person without their permission. Use of content that is obscene, false, or offensive is expressly prohibited.
Some may find the feature uncanny, however, initial reactions to LiveStory have been outstanding. Noted genealogist James Tanner called the feature “jaw-dropping” and “more than fabulous” after seeing a LiveStory of his grandfather. Writer, author, and renowned lecturer Lisa Alzo was moved to tears by a LiveStory of her late father and said, “I am in awe of this technology. LiveStory gives us a whole new way to experience and share family stories that will resonate with younger and older audiences alike, and is particularly useful for generating video biographies of people who lived before video was invented.”
“LiveStory takes storytelling to the next level,” said Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. “With this latest viral feature, MyHeritage continues to lead the world of online family history in both vision and innovation. Our use of AI to breathe new life into historical photos is unique and is helping millions of people cultivate a renewed emotional connection with their ancestors and deceased loved ones. Genealogy is all about telling and preserving our family stories. We keep showing the world how fun and compelling genealogy can be.”
“Following the dizzying success of Deep Nostalgia™, we are thrilled to team up with MyHeritage once again to create another mind-blowing experience that will change the way people interact with family history,” said Gil Perry, Co-Founder and CEO of D-ID. “LiveStory leverages AI-powered video reenactment to give voice to the stories of our ancestors. We are delighted by such a moving and inspiring application for our technology and our strong, ongoing partnership with MyHeritage.”
LiveStory is a freemium feature on MyHeritage, available on desktop, mobile web, and the MyHeritage mobile app. Users can create several LiveStories for free. Beyond that, additional use requires a subscription. LiveStories can easily be shared with friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and other social media.
About MyHeritage
MyHeritage is the leading global discovery platform for exploring family history. With billions of historical records and family tree profiles, and with sophisticated matching technologies that work across all its assets, MyHeritage allows users to discover their past and empower their future. MyHeritage DNA is one of the world’s largest consumer DNA databases, with 5.6 million customers. MyHeritage is the most popular DNA test and family history service in Europe. Since 2020, MyHeritage is home to the world’s most advanced AI technologies for animating, repairing, enhancing, and colorizing historical photos. www.myheritage.com
D-ID is a Tel Aviv-based Creative Reality™ startup specializing in patented video reenactment technology using AI and deep learning. D-ID’s products range from animating still photos, to facilitating high-quality video productions, and creating viral user experiences. With funding from tier 1 VCs, D-ID aims to radically disrupt the time, hassle and costs involved in video production, allowing for the creation of highly personalized media using AI, specifically in history, e-learning, corporate training, marcomms, AI assistants, and the Metaverse. With international customers, D-ID’s core competencies in the human face and deep learning enable its partners to create exciting and engaging content that was until now unimaginable. To find out more, visit www.d-id.com.
MyHeritage Ltd., P.O.Box 50, 3 Ariel Sharon Blvd., Or Yehuda, Israel 6037606, Israel, +972-3-6280000
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