The EWGS Spring Seminar is coming soon! Don’t miss out on these dynamic speakers; they will be bringing us fascinating stories about the area in which we live and how our ancestors came to be here. This will be our first Hybrid Meeting! Please join us in person or on Zoom!
To register go to the website: EWGSi (The registration is two steps, so be sure to read the instructions at the bottom of the registration form.)
EWGS Spring Seminar Saturday, April 2 EWGS Spring Seminar 9:00 am to 2:30 pm Our First Hybrid Meeting at the Shadle Public Library! Free parking at the Shadle Library!
Shadle Public Library is located at 2111 W. Wellesley Avenue, Spokane, Washington 99205
Richard Sola will present:
1) Creating a Region – The Populating of Spokane & The Inland Empire, 1870-1920 We will be looking, decade by decade, at how Spokane grew from a village of less than 50 people in 1870 to a major U.S. city in 1900 with a population of over 100,000. Practical resources for you to use will be discussed.
2) Living Their Lives in the Inland Empire – 1870-1920 Who moved here and why? Where did they come from? How did they get here and why did they stay? What was it like to live in the new city of Spokane?
Susan Dechant will present:
3) A Monumental Story, a Grand Coulee Mystery Once considered to be the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Grand Coulee Dam has had a huge impact on not only us here in the state of Washington but on all of the western states that are supplied with energy produced at the dam. During construction of the main dam and later the third powerhouse (roughly from 1933-1975), 81 men were killed working on the project. Who were those men and what are their stories? Susan will share how she used her genealogy research skills to solve the mystery of the missing monument.
Did you have an ancestor whose occupation was a miner? Many were. And many immigrants with a mining background came to places in America where they pursued that same occupation. (Welsh coal miners to Pennsylvania.) I just discovered a cool website, Discover Mining History with the Mining History Association. Right on the home page is this question: “I am working on my family tree and have relatives who worked in mines. Where can I find more information?” And next, “My relative worked at the XYZ mine. How can I find records of his/her employment?” So if you do have an ancestor whose occupation was miner, I’ll bet you’d find some good stuff on this website. www.mininghistoryassocation.org
Have you visited our Roslyn cemeteries? It’s located just east of Snoqualmie Pass. This is actually 27 separate cemeteries bundled together in the wooded Roslyn hillside with nearly 5000 graves representing 24 different nationalities that used to live in the town……… many of these folks came to be miners and work in the coal mines. Lots of mining history right in our own Evergreen state.
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.
Greetings, Genealogy Enthusiasts! It feels like the New Year began just a few weeks ago – and yet, it’s March already! And, the NGS 2022 Family History Conference in Sacramento 24-28 May is only three months away! As the “Local Host” for the Conference, the California Genealogical Society (CGS) hopes you have had a chance to peruse the Conference Brochure and select the lectures, events, and tours that interest you. Remember – the discounted “Early Bird Deadline” is March 18! One of the duties of the Local Host is to provide Volunteers with a variety of jobs during the Conference, such as: stuffing attendee tote bags, room monitors, helping with check-in, volunteer room hosts, floaters, and vendor support (in the Expo Hall). Think about volunteering for an hour or more while you are at the Conference. Not only will it help make the Conference successful, but it is a great way to meet fellow genealogy enthusiasts from all over the country. Signing up is easy: Go to Invitation to Volunteer. When you click on this link it will take you to SignUp instructions to volunteer. It is easy to do and easy to make changes if needed. Please sign up for several spots – we have lots to fill. You don’t necessarily need to be a registered attendee. Think about spending a day volunteering to help us make the conference successful! Questions? Send an email to ngs2022@californiaancestors.org CGS is looking forward to seeing you at the Conference! Conference Quick Links:NGS 2022 Family History ConferenceNGS on CGS websiteConference Hotel ReservationsNGS 2022 Conference BlogCalifornia Genealogical Society2201 Broadway LL2Oakland, CA 94612510-663-1358californiaancestors.orgNational Genealogical Society6400 Arlington Blvd., Suite 810Falls Church, VA 22042-2318703-525-0050ngsgenealogy.orgPlease feel free to forward this email to members of your organization and your newsletter editor!
I am thrilled to announce the launch of our first-ever podcast, Blast From My Past — now available wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify and Apple.
The Blast From My Past podcast will feature the incredible true stories of people whose lives were changed by what they discovered through MyHeritage about their family’s pasts — whether it was a close relative they never knew existed, the key to unlocking an old family mystery, or a newfound connection to a long-forgotten legacy.
Our debut episode, “The Secret of Ereikoussa,” drops today! It tells the story of Yvette Corporan, a bestselling author, and Emmy Award-winning producer who set out on a quest to confirm the extraordinary story her grandmother told her: that the Greek Island community where she grew up conspired to hide a Jewish family right under the noses of their Nazi occupiers. Listeners will follow along as Yvette digs for clues, and, with the assistance of MyHeritage CEO Gilad Japhet, makes discoveries beyond what she had ever imagined.This episode is just the first in a series of breathtaking and deeply moving stories. We can’t wait to share the rest of them with you!
EARLY-BIRD DISCOUNT ENDS 18 MARCH FOR NGS 2022 FAMILY HISTORY CONFERENCE IN SACRAMENTO Register Now
Dear :
Be sure to lock in your early-bird discount by 18 March for the NGS 2022 Family History Conference in Sacramento, California, 24-28 May.
Early-bird discounts are available to those who plan to attend the conference in person. After 18 March, the price of registration for NGS members will increase from $245 to $295 for all four days. Non-members will pay $345, up from $295.
All attendees will receive the Conference Compendium, which includes the program, syllabus, exhibitor information, and more, about two weeks before the conference begins in PDF format. Available exclusively to early-bird registrants is the option to purchase a USB of the Compendium for ten dollars.
If you need to cancel your registration for any reason prior to 18 April, you will receive a complete refund minus a $50 service fee.
If you are unable to attend the in-person conference, you may want to register for our Online at Home virtual conference, 27-28 May, or purchase a twenty or forty session On-Demand package of conference lectures.
To learn more, see the conference program, Our American Mosaic. You can also join us on Zoom 7 March 2022, at 8:30 p.m. ET for a live Questions & Answers session on all things conference! Register for the Zoom event here. We will have a panel of NGS staff and volunteers providing conference information – you will be able to get answers then and there. We are looking forward to meeting you and hearing your questions.
Registration for all conference options closes 18 April 2022.
Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society inspires, connects, and leads the family history community by fostering collaboration and best practices in advocacy, education, preservation, and research. We enable people, cultures, and organizations to discover the past and create a lasting legacy. The Falls Church, Virginia, based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian.
TIP OF THE WEEK – GFO VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE 2022 The Genealogical Forum of Oregon will be hosting another Virtual Open House this year. Last year they filled over 2,000 virtual seats with attendees from 26 states and five countries. This Open House will run from Saturday, March 26, 2022 – Saturday, April 2, 2022. Twenty-three free presentations are planned. This year includes presentations focusing on African American, Canadian, Irish, German, Latino, Polish, and British heritages. With something for everyone, topics will include: A full day of DNA classes for beginners. Getting Help Solving Tough Research Problems. Online Newspapers. How and Why to Record Your Oldest Relative’s Life Story The Modern U.S. Census including the nearly released 1950 census No fees, but you do need to pre-register for each presentation.
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Greetings, Genealogy Enthusiasts!
