classes announced at the genealogy center and other important events
brenda kellow
june 15, 2014
The Genealogy Center just announced their summer classes held at Haggard Library in the Genealogy Center program room unless otherwise stated.
June 17: 1-1:30 p.m. Getting started in genealogy.
June 24 and August 29: 1:30-5 p.m. Legacy Family Tree software User Group meets for information sharing, research tips, webinars and one-on-one help.
June 28: 10:30-noon Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). Bring your camera to take photos of them in their uniforms, held in first floor program room.
July 16: 9:30-11 a.m. Filling the holes—locating the vital records to find your ancestors.
August 14: 9:30-11 a.m. The history of Plano’s founding families.
October 17: Annual Genealogy Lock-in from noon until 11 p.m. Staff and volunteers present to show webinars, classes, research time and assistance will be available throughout the day.
DESCENDANTS OF MEXICAN WAR VETERANS CONVENTION 21 JUNE 2014: The annual meeting of the Descendants of Mexican War Veterans Convention is 21 June at the University of Texas in Arlington. On this date, the organization celebrates the 25th anniversary, which began at the University. The convention is in the Central Library on the sixth floor of the Jenkins Garrett Collection from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. There will be a guided tour by the curator of the New Mexican War exhibit with its attention focusing on the forgotten Mexican War through letters, diaries, daguerreotype, sketches, maps, etc. The exhibit came in March and will continue through the month of August. The University asks that you not use street parking or the underground parking lot on Saturdays. For more information, write to the DMWV National Office, Post Office Box 461941, Garland 75046-1941. Email [email protected]. Membership information is available online at http://dmwv.org/.
ANCESTRY RETIRES SOME SERVICES: Starting September 5, Ancestry.com will no longer give the genealogical public access to MyFamily.com, MyCanvas.com, LegacyDNA.com and Mundia-English. The AncestryDNA (autosomal) test will continue to be available for purchase but the y-DNA and mtDNA tests will be retired. The announcement from Vice President Eric Shoup’s blog says, “Genealogy.com is the exception to the rule, and will continue in a slightly different form. If you are an active member or subscriber to one of these services, you will be contacted directly with details of how to transition the information you’ve created using these services.” He goes on to say, “Ancestry.com will now focus on providing the best product experience we can offier to the limitless possibilities that lie before us.” Read more about this on the blog at http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2014/06/04/ancestry-com-focuses-on-core-offerings/. The largest DNA facility still in operation is FamilyTreeDNA.com.
The three major genealogy web sites having server problems still are Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com and FindAGrave.com. These sites are owned by Ancestry.com. Most likely all these are probably hosted from the same data center.
TOWN OF ST. PAUL PLANS HISTORICAL MARKER DEDICATION: Thanks to Joy Gough and the Collin County Historical Commission for St. Paul’s new historical marker. The installation took place at the Town Hall located at the intersection of East Parker Road, Butscher’s Block and St. Paul Road. The placement was on Thursday, May 29, at 2505 Butscher's Block, Mapsco 663E location. It looks fabulous! The Dedication ceremony to celebrate the history of St. Paul is July 23 at 9:30 a.m. The marker recognizes St. Paul as one of the oldest communities in Collin County. The mayor, Opie Walter and Bob London, Town Secretary, will be working on plans for the event. Watch this column for further details or go to the website at http://www.stpaultexas.us/.
MORE ON IDENTIFICATION OF UNKNOWN SOLDIER: The remains, previously known as Vietnam Unknown X-26, were identified through DNA provided by his mother and sister. The remains belonged to First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie. His mother requested his remains be removed and buried in the same cemetery as his father: Jefferson National Cemetery, Missouri. Read the story at www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/galleries/cases/blassie.html. Thank you Helen Jenkins for reminding me that this brave young man was identified and returned home to his mother and family.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].
