A New Look is Coming to WSGS.org

Under Construction

For years, WSGS has run on the ENS-C (EasyNetSites-Classic) platform — and it’s served us well. But technology moves on, and ENS-C is being phased out. So we’re migrating to its successor, ENS-R (Responsive), built by the same company, Blue Crab Software in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

What’s changing

ENS-R keeps everything you rely on — our search tools, member database, Pioneer Pursuit Index, cemetery information and site organization — while adding a modern, mobile-friendly design. Pages will automatically resize for phones, tablets, and desktops, so browsing on your phone will finally feel as smooth as on a computer. You’ll also notice larger text and a top navigation menu instead of the sidebar.

What’s staying the same

The blog isn’t changing. It moved to a new server months ago without any issues, and this update won’t affect it.

What you need to do — right now, nothing

We’ve spent months testing in a private preview environment to catch problems before they reach you. As with any technology change, small hiccups are possible, and we appreciate your patience if anything needs fine-tuning after launch.

Once ENS-R goes live, we’ll email members with simple instructions for resetting your password to access the Members Only area. Until then, there’s nothing you need to do.

If you have questions about the new website, please email Info@wasgs.org. Thank you in advance for your patience!

Let’s Talk About: Awesome Websites

Few posts back I spotlighted Roxanne Low and her list of “Free Genealogy-Related Internet Sites.” Remember? Did you take time to looksee any of them?? Today I highlight some of those opportunities!

www.abmc.gov  —  The American Battle Monuments Commission website features a database of nearly 218,000 American war dead from WWI and WWII who were buried in overseas cemeteries. The site also includes 94,000 more names commemorated on Tablets of the Missing.

www.easycalculation.com  —  calculate how many years, months and days have elapsed between two dates. 

www.deathindexes.com  —  A directory of links to websites with online death indexes, listed by state and county. (Get it? A listing of links to online death indexes!!!)

www.genealogylinks.net  —  Over 50,000 links to resources in the US, the UK, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. (If you’ve stuck with the “tried and true” websites, why? Why not try this?)

https://gravelocator.com/va/gov  —  A VA site, updated daily, offers searches of veterans and their family members buried in most any military cemetery.

* https://glorecords.blm.gov  —  Use this site to search through more than 5,000,000 federal land title records (1788 to present). (Did your ancestor homestead or buy land from the federal government?)

* https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb  — The Newberry Library in Chicago website is one of the best places to trace shifting county lines and the records that went with them.

www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geospatial-program/national-map  —  Looking for an obscure ancestral locale? This website offers help to finding that “old” place with the “new” name.