Free World War II Records

The subscription site Fold3 is offering access to their World War II collection for the rest of the month of November in honor of Veteran's Day. Find the website at www.fold3.com. The announcement follows:

 

Free Access to the World War II Collection

In honor of Veterans Day, Fold3 is offering free access to our World War II Collection November 10-30. Explore the records of the war that shaped America's "greatest generation"—and look for your family's own WWII heroes along the way.

 

Thanks to Maureen Salter for sharing this information.

 

 

November 11 Workshop

Our second workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11. Since the meeting falls on Veteran's Day, we will have a brief presentation on military record research.

The remainder of the meeting will be used for beginner instruction and internet research with plenty of time for questions or assistance. Be sure to bring your computers: let's set a goal that everyone will find at least one ancestor online during the workshop!

The genealogy club table will be part of Tuesday's Craft Fair. Stop by and say hello.

Free Access to Findmypast and Ancestry

Good news posted in Family Tree Magazine's online newsletter. I have copied announcements from Findmypast and Ancestry that their collections or parts of them will be available for searching in honor of Veteran's Day.


Here's the scoop from Family Tree Magazine:


If you've been wanting to try the subscription genealogy website Findmypast, now is the time: In honor of Veterans Day (Nov. 11 in the United States), Findmypast will open up its collections for free access this weekend.

The free period will run from 7 a.m. ET Friday, Nov. 7 to 7 a.m. ET Monday, Nov. 10.

The free access includes global record sets such as censuses; vital records; newspapers; local English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish records; passenger lists; the Periodical Source Index and more. You'll need to set up a free registration to access the free records.


Subscription genealogy site Ancestry.com announced that its top collections of old military records will be free to access in honor of Veterans Day. The free access period ends Nov. 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

The free records include all US wars and some global collections, though the focus is on World War I, which began 100 years ago this past July. Featured collections include:

• WWI draft registration cards
• WWI Mothers' Pilgrimage Lists
• WWI, WWII and Korean War casualty lists

The "Start Free Trial" link at the top of the free military records landing page might be confusing. You don't have to actually start a free trial, which requires entering payment information, to access the free military records.

Instead, either log into the free basic Ancestry.com account you already have, or scroll down on the landing page, run a search, click on a matching record you want to view, and create a free basic account when you're prompted.

November 4 Workshop

Twenty members attended the first workshop of the season, so we are off to a good start. There was a table of beginners and we hope to get them searching for ancestors by next week. The only glitch was with the router, as we had problems connecting to the Internet.

We had a brief look at California's Great Registers in honor of election day. If any of your ancestors were in California after 1866, you might find their names listed in those voting registers. The earliest lists (1866-1900) give their age, date of naturalization, a physical description, etc. This database is on the subscription site Ancestry, which you can use at the public library or the local family history center if you do not subscribe.

Craft Fair Genealogy Table

We will have a genealogy table at the first three craft fairs to publicize our club and encourage new members to join. Any club member who has an hour or two free next Tuesday (Nov. 11) between 9 and 1 can let me know at tonight's meeting--or call 6166 to volunteer. Thanks in advance to all who are willing to spend some time talking family research!

Mesa FamilySearch Library

The November newsletter from the Mesa FamilySearch Library arrived in my mailbox yesterday. In honor of Veterans Day, they are focusing this edition on military records. Check their website if you have an interest in learning more about researching these types of records.    http://www.mesafsl.org


Also of note: the Mesa facility will be closed on Veteran's Day and also from November 24 through January 4 due to renovations at the library.

　

Workshops

We will be starting club workshops next Tuesday, November 4, continuing through December 16. As usual, meetings will be held in the San Tan room beginning at 7 PM. Our library, including books, magazines and folders, is available for checkout or use during meetings.

We are looking forward to hearing about summer successes, family reunions attended, libraries or courthouses visited, etc. If you took a break over the summer, that's OK, too!

We hope to see former members who have returned to Palm Creek and anyone else who is interested in chasing ancestors.

Software Programs for Mac

Mac users who are still searching for a software program for genealogy should take a look at the Feb/March 2014 issue of Internet Genealogy that will be available in the club library this year. Nine different programs are reviewed in the article.

We subscribe to several genealogy magazines and add them to the genealogy club library as we finish reading them. Workshops provide a good opportunity to browse the magazines and read an article or two on various subjects pertaining to genealogy. The magazines can also be checked out for a two-week period during the season.