NEW MICROFILM RECORDS FROM AMERICAN-FRENCH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
Brenda Kellow
May 8, 2011
Several readers mentioned they have French ancestors who came first to Canada before settling in America. Many of my ancestors came from France to America, but several entered into Canada first. I’ve found their census information online, but I have actually not found much more other than a couple of marriage licenses and passports. Thanks to the French-American Genealogical Society (FAGS) for becoming an affiliate of the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake, we recently have those records readily available. They have recently given access to 2.5 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records from around the world. Their website is available at http://www.afgs.org/.
The FHL maintains its online index at www.familysearch.org at no charge. Type in the surname or place and specific time range you are searching into the online search feature. If you find something in the index that is pertinent, your local Family History Center (FHC) will order copies made of the microfilm from the AFGS for a $5.50 fee. It remains available in the library for 30 days. The film becomes a permanent record at the FHC for an additional $5.50.
The FHL has more than 2.4 million rolls of microfilm; 742,000 microfiche; 210,000 books and an increasing number of digitized records.
With these new American-French records available to us, maybe we can all find more information on our French ancestors.
MURPHY CELEBRATES MEMORIAL DAY AT THE CEMETERY: The annual Memorial Day observance sponsored by the Cemetery Association of Murphy is on May 28 at 9:30 a.m. at the historic Decatur Maxwell Murphy Cemetery located in Murphy. The celebration begins with the history presentations at 14 veteran graves with music, military roll call, Veteran recognition and a 21-gun salute. Participants include the W.H.L. Wells Camp of Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Order of Confederate Rose. The cemetery is located down the gravel road and the juncture of North Maxwell Creek and Tom Clevenger Roads.
GOOGLE’S PUBLIC ACCESS TO STREET VIEW: SearchEngineWatch.com reported on April 4 that a Swiss Federal Administrative Court ruled Google’s Street View mapping service infringes privacy. I’m a Google fan because of its dynamic impact on genealogy. Showing faces, license plates, and peoples’ faces near sensitive facilities may be a bit like the fictional character Big Brother in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eight-Four. SearchEngineWatch.com reported the court ruled “Google must blur all faces, license plates, and ensure the complete anonymity of people near sensitive facilities. The ruling is that everyone has the right to his or her own image. Some of the recent court approved recommendations to improve Street View are:
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].
The FHL maintains its online index at www.familysearch.org at no charge. Type in the surname or place and specific time range you are searching into the online search feature. If you find something in the index that is pertinent, your local Family History Center (FHC) will order copies made of the microfilm from the AFGS for a $5.50 fee. It remains available in the library for 30 days. The film becomes a permanent record at the FHC for an additional $5.50.
The FHL has more than 2.4 million rolls of microfilm; 742,000 microfiche; 210,000 books and an increasing number of digitized records.
With these new American-French records available to us, maybe we can all find more information on our French ancestors.
MURPHY CELEBRATES MEMORIAL DAY AT THE CEMETERY: The annual Memorial Day observance sponsored by the Cemetery Association of Murphy is on May 28 at 9:30 a.m. at the historic Decatur Maxwell Murphy Cemetery located in Murphy. The celebration begins with the history presentations at 14 veteran graves with music, military roll call, Veteran recognition and a 21-gun salute. Participants include the W.H.L. Wells Camp of Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Order of Confederate Rose. The cemetery is located down the gravel road and the juncture of North Maxwell Creek and Tom Clevenger Roads.
GOOGLE’S PUBLIC ACCESS TO STREET VIEW: SearchEngineWatch.com reported on April 4 that a Swiss Federal Administrative Court ruled Google’s Street View mapping service infringes privacy. I’m a Google fan because of its dynamic impact on genealogy. Showing faces, license plates, and peoples’ faces near sensitive facilities may be a bit like the fictional character Big Brother in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eight-Four. SearchEngineWatch.com reported the court ruled “Google must blur all faces, license plates, and ensure the complete anonymity of people near sensitive facilities. The ruling is that everyone has the right to his or her own image. Some of the recent court approved recommendations to improve Street View are:
- “Blur all faces and license plates (currently only 98 percent are blurred).
- Guarantee the complete anonymity of people near sensitive facilities (e.g., women’s shelters, nursing homes, prisons, schools, social services, guardianship authorities, courts, and hospitals) by further blurring people’s clothes and skin color.
- Exclude (or remove) images of private areas (e.g., walled gardens, courtyards).
- Google must announce its itinerary in local papers of where and when Street View is scheduled.”
- Street View contains imagery from public roads that is no different from what you might see driving or walking down the street. Imagery of this kind is available in a wide variety of formats for cities all around the world. In select cases, Google will partner with an organization such as Disneyland Paris to schedule imagery collection of their property.”
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].