24 Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon

Heritage Quest Research Library German Research when you do not speak the Language

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.

Recognize your Outstanding Volunteers and Team NOW

Mar9 by Roxanne Lowe

WSGS is proud to announce that the Outstanding Volunteer and Team Awards are back!!

After a three-year hiatus and a global pandemic, it’s time to honor those members who kept societies together and moving forward. Local societies can submit up to four individuals or two teams/projects for special recognition by WSGS.

The process for this year’s Outstanding Volunteer/Team Award program is accelerated and streamlined to recognize our volunteers as quickly as possible. They all deserve it, don’t they?

Letters to local societies and organizations, with additional details, have been emailed to society contacts. If you have not received that information, please contact Roxanne Lowe, WSGS Secretary at Info@wasgs.org. The milestones for this year’s nomination process are:

• No later than May 1, 2022: Submit the name(s), narratives and photographs of your honorees to Info@wasgs.org. The narrative (approximately 150 words) should explain the accomplishments of your nominee and why you are honoring him/her. The photograph should be a good quality digital photograph (at least 300 dpi).
• June 1, 2022: Formal announcement of the recipients will be announced.

Additional details and deadlines, plus indexes of honorees since 2003, may be found at the WSGS website at: https://www.wasgs.org/cpage.php?pt=54

Please contact Roxanne Lowe at Info@wasgs.org if you have questions or suggestions.

Eastern Washington Genealogical Society Spring Seminar coming soon

Mar8 by Charles Hansen

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.

Were your ancestors miners….. east or west?

Mar8 by Donna Phillips

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.

Tri-City Genealogical Society meets Wednesday March 9th

Mar6 by Charles Hansen

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.

Thank you to everyone who has joined the TCGS for 2022. For those who would like to join or renew please see http://tricitygenealogicalsociety.org/q/join/join_renew/ or http://tricitygenealogicalsociety.org/q/wp-content/uploads/TCGSBrochure.pdf

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 848 0734 9713

Passcode: 765734

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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kce0obJqMT

South King County Genealogical Society MARCH – EARLY APRIL 2022 MEETINGS & EVENTS

Mar6 by Charles Hansen

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

Be in the know! Receive notices for our virtual meetings, as well as the latest genealogy news and tips, by subscribing (free) to the online group at https://skcgs.groups.io

Skcgs.groups.io is the SKCGS online discussion and collaboration arena where:

we communicate and share information with each other
other than your email, you are not required to provide personal information
you can unsubscribe at any time

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.

REGISTER IN ADVANCE
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email from Zoom
Save the email – it contains your link to join the meeting
Link to register:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUkd-qprzIiE93I2y9rODWrrtIHy7vw9f6g

Monday, March 21, 2022 ⋅ 1:00pm – 3:00pm PT

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.

You are receiving this email because you have attended a SKCGS meeting and indicated you would like to receive periodic notice of events. If you would like to be removed from our list and stop receiving emails from us, send an email to skcgsfriends+unsubscribe@skcgs.org.

Like – Facebook :: Subscribe – Blog :: Follow – Twitter :: Website – SKCGS.org :: Member support – info@skcgs.org

SOUTH KING COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
PO BOX 582
AUBURN, WASHINGTON 98071-0582

Whidbey Island Genealogical Searchers Finding Jane Graham’s Parents by Mary Kircher Roddy

Mar6 by Charles Hansen

Myheritage introduces LiveStory

Mar6 by Charles Hansen

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.

Amazing, right? Head on over to the LiveStory landing page to try it for yourself! You can read more about the feature and how it works on our blog announcement here and press release below.

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 in Deep 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

MyHeritage Media Contact:

Sarah Vanunu

Director of Public Relations

+1 917 725-5018

pr@myheritage.com

About D-ID

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.

D-ID Media Contact:

Shoshi Grossman

Senior Associate, Si14 Global Communications

+1-347-389-0461

d-idpr@si14global.com

MyHeritage Ltd., P.O.Box 50, 3 Ariel Sharon Blvd., Or Yehuda, Israel 6037606, Israel, +972-3-6280000

NGS looking for Volunteers

Mar6 by Charles Hansen

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 Conference NGS on CGS website Conference Hotel Reservations NGS 2022 Conference Blog California Genealogical Society 2201 Broadway LL2 Oakland, CA 94612 510-663-1358 californiaancestors.org National Genealogical Society 6400 Arlington Blvd., Suite 810 Falls Church, VA 22042-2318 703-525-0050 ngsgenealogy.org Please feel free to forward this email to members of your organization and your newsletter editor!

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