NGS-L Archives

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Subject: [UpFront: NGS] Vol. 1, No. 11, 07 November 2002
Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 19:02:56 -0800

UpFront with NGS
The Online Newsletter of the National Genealogical Society
Volume 1, Number 11 -- 07 November 2002
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Co-editors: Dennis and Carla Ridenour

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Quote of the Day -- 07 November 2002
"Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us,
we see the past, present and future. We make discoveries about
ourselves." ---Gail Lumet Buckley
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Today In UpFront
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NGS Book Loan Collection
NGS GENTECH 2004: Call for Papers
NGS Family Health and Heredity Committee
News from the National Institute on Genealogical Research
--A Unique Educational Opportunity for Experienced Genealogists
Research Tools and Techniques: The Digital Darkroom, Part 1
--Editing Document Photos
News Items, Announcements, and Press Releases
--Molecular Genealogy Draws Record Crowd in Calgary
--In Memory of P. William Filby
Previous Issues of UpFront with NGS
Family Reunion Calendar
How to Submit Items for Publication in UpFront with NGS
How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe
NGS Contact Information

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"UpFront with NGS" is a publication of the National Genealogical
Society, a nonprofit service organization that leads and educates
the national genealogical community. To learn more about the goals,
publications, conferences, services and members benefits of the
National Genealogical Society, visit the NGS Web site:
http://www.NGSgenealogy.org

© 2002 National Genealogical Society

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NGS Book Loan Collection
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The circulating NGS Book Loan Collection moved to St. Louis County
Library in February. A slide show of this exciting event is available
on the Web at http://www.slcl.lib.mo.us/slcl/sc/ngs/sshow/slide1.htm

The books are available for check-out through Interlibrary Loan. We
have set up temporary procedures until the books are fully cataloged
and searchable from our online catalog. These procedures are explained
on our Web site at http://www.slcl.lib.mo.us/slcl/sc/ngs/ngs-ill.htm

Some books remained at Glebe House in Virginia and have the location
code of "Glebe House" in the NGS catalog http://64.7.52.99/

In addition to borrowing books, researchers may also request
photocopies of indexes or look-ups from indexed books. See
http://www.slcl.lib.mo.us/slcl/sc/res-pro.htm

Questions are welcomed.

Joyce Loving, Manager
Special Collections
St. Louis County Library, St. Louis, Missouri



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NGS GENTECH 2004: Call for Papers
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Genealogists will meet in St. Louis, Missouri, 22-24 January 2004 for
the 11th NGS GENTECH conference. This conference will Preserve the
Past and Explore the Future of technology and genealogy. Proposals for
this conference are due on or before 15 February 2003.

In 2004, St. Louis will celebrate the anniversary of the Lewis and
Clark Expedition. Lewis and Clark started their great expedition at
the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, just a few
miles north of downtown St. Louis. As they began their adventure, the
explorers certainly did not know the long-term impact of their
adventure, nor did they have a GPS system!

In holding with the mission of NGS GENTECH, we invite lecture
proposals on topics which address the intersection of genealogy and
technology, and especially on the following specific topics:
--genealogical software
--companion software
--data management
--Internet subjects
--fundamentals for the novice
--tools for the advanced
--pushing the envelope
--librarian workshop
For more information on each of these topics check the Website
http://www.stlgs.org/gentech2004

One-hour lectures should include a brief question and answer period.
Camera-ready handout material will be due in August 2003. This
material will be included in the syllabus that will be distributed to
all conference registrants.

Speakers may submit an unlimited but selective number of proposals.
Lecturers will receive compensation, travel expenses, per diem, and
hotel accommodations based on the number of lectures given.
Complimentary conference registration and conference publications are
also included. NGS members will be given first consideration as
speakers.

Proposals should include:
--title of the presentation
--brief outline including a short summary (forty words or less)
--brief speaker biography for the program
--audio/visual requirements for each lecture
--speaker name, address, telephone, fax, and email address
--list of previous lecture experience

New speakers are encouraged to submit an audiotape of a lecture.

Proposals may be submitted in Word, WordPerfect, or AppleWorks
electronically to . Questions may be submitted to
the same address or by mail to:

NGS GENTECH2004 Program Chair
St. Louis Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 43010
St. Louis, MO 63143-0010


Ann Carter Fleming, CG
NGS GENTECH2004 Program Chair

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NGS Family Health and Heredity Committee
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Family Health History Brochure

Have you been wondering about your family health history? Do you want
to compile a "medical genealogy?" The NGS Family Health and Heredity
Committee has prepared a brochure that we would be happy to mail to
you at no charge. Please contact NGS by e-mail:
.

You may also choose to call (800) 473-0060 ext
331 or write to FH&H Committee, National Genealogical Society, 4527
17th Street North, Arlington, VA 22207

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News from NIGR
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A Unique Educational Opportunity for Experienced Genealogists
13-19 July 2003 . Washington, D.C.

The National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR) in Washington,
D.C. is held at the National Archives facilities in Washington and in
College Park, Maryland. It offers on-site and in-depth examination of
the common and less-known federal records found there. This intensive
week-long study opportunity is for experienced genealogists, and for
archivists, historians and librarians interested in using federal
records for genealogical research. It is not an introductory course in
genealogy.

The 2003 program will feature sessions on the census and records for
African American, military, land, Native American and cartographic
research. Additional lectures on less-frequently-used sources like
records of World War II, consular records, and papers of the
Continental Congress, along with popular sessions on naturalization,
citizenship, and immigration documents will round out the program.
Attendees will spend one day at Archives II in College Park, Maryland,
for presentations on records at that facility and for an opportunity
to conduct research there. Evening sessions at the Local History and
Genealogy Room of the Library of Congress and the National Society
Daughters of the American Revolution Library are optional.

** Applications **

To facilitate direct contact between the students and the lecturers
and archivists, enrollment is limited to forty-four individuals.
Brochures with an application form will be mailed in early 2003. The
class fills very quickly. Tuition is $325 for applications postmarked
on, or before, 15 May 2003, or $355 for applications postmarked after
that date. For more information about the 2003 program, or to obtain
an application brochure, see the Institute's Web site at:
http://natgeninst.genealogy.org . Or send e-mail to
; or write to NIGR, P.O. Box 724, Lanham, MD
20703-0724. Please note that both the address and email address have
recently changed.

** Scholarships **

Two scholarships are available, each offering a $500 stipend to help
defray expenses incurred in attending the Institute. The NIGR Alumni
Association offers the Richard S. Lackey Scholarship to "an
experienced researcher employed in a paid or volunteer position in the
service of the genealogical community." For information, see the Web
site at http://natgeninst.genealogy.org, where an online application
form will be available after 1 January 2003; or write to: Lackey
Scholarship, NIGRAA, P.O. Box 14274, Washington, D.C. 20044-4274.

The American Society of Genealogists offers the ASG Scholar Award,
based on a manuscript or published paper of at least 5,000 words.
Application deadline is 1 January 2003. For details, see the Society's
Web site at http://www.fasg.org or write to: ASG Scholarship
Committee, 2324 East Nottingham, Springfield, MO 65804-7821.

Additional scholarships may become available in the future. See the
Institute's Web site at http://natgeninst.genealogy.org for updated
information.

NIGR has been a leader in the field of genealogical education for more
than fifty years. In 1989 the Institute was incorporated as an
independent, non-profit corporation. Its Board of Trustees consists of
representatives of the American Society of Genealogists, the
Association of Professional Genealogists, the Board for Certification
of Genealogists, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the
National Genealogical Society, and the Institute's Alumni Association.
The National Archives, a non-voting member of the corporation,
provides strong support. The Institute maintains a non-discriminatory
policy toward enrollment. Applicants are accepted without regard to
sex, race, creed, color, or national or ethnic origin.

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Research Tools and Techniques
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The Digital Darkroom, Part 1 --
Editing Document Photos

This week we are going to enter the 'digital darkroom" and launch a
new series of articles discussing a variety of editing techniques and
software tools that can be used to improve the appearance of documents
copied with a digital camera. The goal of this article series is to
help you develop the confidence and skills needed to perform the
following tasks:

1. Reassemble large documents that have been photographed in
sections.

2. Correct the effects of poor lighting conditions and/or remove
shadows from your document photos.

3. Compensate for distortion of the document photo caused by a poor
shooting angle or curled pages.

5. Enhance the quality of documents photos suffering from low contrast
and/or hard to read to text.

When this series of articles is finished, we'll follow-up with tips
for using your camera to make digital copies of slides, negatives
and/or old photographs. We'll also discuss how to improve and enhance
the copies, but for now, let's talk documents.

** Limitations of Text Only Format**

It's nearly impossible to discuss image-editing techniques in the text
only format used by this newsletter. Screen grabs and photos of sample
documents make this type of discussion much easier to follow. With
this in mind, we have posted these items, plus additional instructions
at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/

We encourage you to copy the photographs for each exercise to your
hard drive. The easiest way to do this is to create a folder on your
hard drive before you visit the Web site and then, after you connect
to the site, place your cursor over each photo, click on the alternate
mouse button (right button if your mouse is set up for right hand use
or the left button if it is set up for leftys) and select the "save
image as" command and save to the folder you created.

** Choosing an Image-Editing Program **

The articles in this series are based on the assumption that you are
familiar with your computer's operating system and already know how to
find, open, save, and close files as well as how to close a file
without saving it. We also assume that you already have an
image-editing program or are planning to purchase one.

Everyone who works with digital images seems to have a favorite
image-editing program, and I'm no exception. Although I use several
programs, my favorite teaching tool is Photo Impact from Ulead. The
boxed version of this program (with manual) sells for $89.95 and may
be purchased at most software stores or directly from Ulead by calling
800-//////. The cost of the program when downloaded from Ulead's
Website is $79.95 (without manual) see
http://www.ulead.com/pi/runme.htm

Ulead also offers a 30-day trial version PhotoImpact, available
for download at http://www.ulead.com/pi/trial.htm

In addition, some hardware manufactures bundle PhotoImpact with
imaging devices such as scanners or video capture boards. If you watch
computer store sale items, it is sometimes possible to find a scanner,
or other imaging device, bundled with the full version of PhotoImpact
selling for less than the boxed version of just the software.

My second choice is Adobe Photoshop. I hesitate to recommend it
because of the purchase price. It is, however, an exceptional program
and the academic version is an excellent value for those who are
qualified to purchase it. For more information regarding the academic
version see
http://www.sprysoft.com/shop/?keyword=photoshop&page=shop%2Fbrowse
or
http://www.directdeals.com/product.asp?id=2619

Photoshop LE (limited edition), which fortunately comes bundled with
many hardware units including some digital cameras, is also a good
choice.

Additional worthwhile programs include:

Jasc's Paint Shop Pro, http://www.jasc.com/products/psp/

Adobe Photoshop Elements,
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopel/main.html ;

ArcSoft PhotoStudio,
http://www.arcsoft.com/products/software/en/photostudio.html plus
many others.

The main thing is to find the program that works the way you want it
to, and stick with it. My suggestion to those of you who are planning
to purchase your first image editing program or to replace a program
you already own is to download trial versions of the above mentioned
programs so that you can explore and compare the various features
before making your final purchase.

** Image-Editing Tools **

Although many editing programs have tools similar to the ones I
describe, they may not use the same name, so you will have to
substitute the name used by your program whenever I say to use a
certain tool. For example, PhotoImpact has a Soften tool that softens
the edge of a selection, Photoshop refers to the tool that performs
this same function as the Feather tool. Other programs may call it
the Blend tool---you get the idea. Some times when I do an editing
step, I will also show another method to accomplish the same editing
task using different tools. As you become more experienced with
editing images, you will see that there are usually several different
ways to complete a task. I will just try to open the doors, and let
your creativity take over. The names and descriptions of some of the
tools we will use in the next few issues are listed below:

* Selection Tools: These tools allow you to select different portions
of your image. There are usually 3 to 5 methods of selection. The
most common are:

Shape Tool: This tool is based on shape and allows you to draw a
rectangle, square, circle, or oval shape and "select" everything
within the shape.

Random Draw Tool: This selection tool is sometimes known as the
Lasso. It allows you to draw a freehand shape freehand and select
everything within the shape.

Magic Finger Tool: This tool may also be called the Magic Wand or
Magic Pointer. It allows you to click on a specific color and
then select the same color throughout the picture. This selection
usually has adjustments that cause not only the clicked on color
to be selected, but also a range of similar colors to be
selected with it. The Magic Finger tool is used to select the
areas of the image you want to work on. It may also offer
additional attributes that can be selected.

* Zoom Tool: This tool lets you zoom into or out on the picture. This
tool is often signified by a cursor that looks like a magnifying
glass, which when clicked on an area of the image, magnifies the
image. Click again, and the image is further magnified. Right
clicking, ALT key clicking, SHIFT key clicking, or CTL key clicking,
depending on your program, zooms you out and makes the image details
appear to be smaller. This tool is used for zooming in on a specific
area of the image and is especially handy for detailed pixel-by-pixel
editing.

* Rotate Tool: This tool allows you to rotate an image. It usually has
selections that make it possible to rotate the image 90 degrees
clockwise or counter clockwise, 180 degrees, or by degree or fraction
of degrees. This tool is used to change the orientation of a
photograph from landscape to portrait, or vice versa, so that you can
view the document on your computer monitor and read the text from
right to left. It can also be used to straighten the edges of a
document that was photographed on a slant.

* Transform Tools: This set of tools allows you to change the shape of
a selected area. These tools are used to reshape the documents that
appear out of shape due to camera angles.

* Brightness and Contrast Tools: These two tools are usually grouped
together because one affects the other. They can appear as click on
buttons, slider bars, or selection icons depending on your program.
They are also found in almost every editing program, even the most
basic ones. As their names suggest, they can be used to lighten or
darken, improve the contrast, or change the density of an entire
image, or parts that you have selected.

* Edge Softening or Feathering Tool: This tool allows you to "soften"
the edge of your selection. Instead of a sharp line between selected
and not selected areas, softening the edge allows you to have a
gradual effect at the edge. This tool is used to feather a dark and
light area together, without a sharp edge. The amount of softness, or
feathering is usually adjustable. For example, if you have a dark
area selected that is next to a light area, you may want to lighten
the dark area, but you don't want a sharp edge to show, so you use
this tool to soften the edge and eliminate the abrupt change from dark
to light.

* Masking Tool: This tool is similar to masking tape in that it allows
you to mask off areas of the image so that other tools will not affect
the masked area. Masking techniques are sometimes difficult to
understand, so we will take extra care to explain this process when we
get there. Creating masks can be somewhat complicated but they are
worth the effort as some of the best editing techniques are
accomplished using masks.

* Stitch Tool: This tool allows you to take two images with identical
areas and stitch them together. For example, if a document is too
long to adequately capture the details with one photograph, you can
take two photographs; one of the top of the page to down past the
center, and one of the bottom of the page up past the center. These
two photos can then be automatically or manually stitched together
into a single image by using the Stitch tool. The Stitch tool looks
at the center of the pages that are the identical, and moves the two
images together to form one image. Some Stitch tools work better than
others.

* Transparency Tool: This tool allows you to make an image, or
selection area transparent. There will be adjustments that determine
how transparent the image is. This tool is used to make one image
transparent, so it can be moved over another image, and the identical
areas matched up. This is equivalent to manual stitching.

* Shape and Fill tools: The Shape tool is used to make a geometric
shape on the image, or on an image mask. This tool usually has
selections for many different shapes. Fill tools allow you to fill an
image, or image mask, with pre-set colors, gradients, or patterns.
The Shape and Fill tools are used primarily for building masks.

These are some of the tools you should look for when selecting an
image-editing program. A suitable image-editing program will usually
provide many more tools that allow you to fine tune your images and
your editing skills.

** Reassembling a Document Photographed in Two Sections **

Let's start with a simple example, like the one mentioned above in the
Stitching tool description. You will need to use a copy stand to take
two photos of a large page, one of the top of the page, and the other
of the bottom. Each photo should overlap at the center, in order to
create reference points for stitching. Stitching procedures are much
more successful, if the samples to be stitched are the same width, or
in other words, taken from the same distance away from the original,
and at an angle directly above the original.

One of the main reasons for using a copy stand is that the camera
distance and angle never change, making it possible to shoot two or
more photographs with essentially the same dimensions.

Note: The photographs I used for this exercise (named 199top.jpg and
199bottom.jpg) are available at
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/
Although I convert my digital camera images to the .BMP format because
it is native to Windows and doesn't lose quality when saved and
resaved, these sample images were converted back to the JPG format to
reduce the file size before posting on the Web site.

Please feel free to download these sample photographs and use them to
complete the exercise, if you don't have a camera or don't want to
take the time to shoot your own. And, if you don't already have an
image-editing program with the features used in this week's exercise,
you might also want to download the trial version of PhotoImpact from
http://www.ulead.com/pi/trial.htm

The steps for photographing a document in sections are as follows:
1. Set up the copy stand, place the book so that from the top to the
middle of the page is in the view finder or LCD screen,
2. pre-set the white balance
3. hold the back cover up to reduce the page curl
4. focus on the page, set the timer, and trip the shutter
5. for the second shot, move the book and shoot the bottom to the
middle of the page.

These steps will produce two pictures. With the middle overlapping,
the pictures should be easy to stitch, either manually or
automatically. Because not all programs include a Stitch tool, the
exercise in this issue will demonstrate how to use other tools to do a
manual stitch.

We will use the tools described above, but there may also be a few
additional tools, or operations, used during the exercise. You will
need to look at their context so that you can match them up with
tools, and/or operations in your editing program. If you have
trouble, e-mail me the name of your program, and I will see if I can
devise a way to perform the same operation in your program. In this
exercise, I will use Photo Impact 6.0.

** Exercise 1: Performing a Manual Stitch **

Step 1: Load the two photos into your program. If you downloaded the
sample photos from the Web site, they are named 199top.jpg and
199bottom.jpg simply because they are photos of page 199 of a County M
Mortgage book stored in the basement of the Woods County, Oklahoma
courthouse.

Note: Although most editing programs offer several levels of Undo,
it's always a good idea to copy your original photographs to CD or
other type of removable media or to a special folder on your hard
drive before performing any editing tasks. This way you won't have to
worry about making a "fatal" mistake and can always revert to a fresh
copy of the photograph if necessary. Also remember that, unless you
have selected a RAW or TIF format, your digital camera will create JPG
images. If you edit a JPG image, be sure to save it in a non-lossy
format such as .BMP or .TIF until your editing tasks are complete.
This creates a larger file size but it also helps to retain the
quality of the original image.

Step 2: Examine the photos to assure yourself that both are the same,
or nearly the same size. You can do this by using the Zoom tool, and
zooming to a 25% view. See an example at:
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/ . Don't worry if one
photograph is slightly larger than the other; we
will fix that a little later.

Step 3: To create a work area in which to stitch the photos together,
check the pixel size of your photos; in my case the photos are 1195 x
870 pixels and 1205 x 957 pixels. (I cropped the original images to
eliminate the extraneous edges. In order to fit these photos into one
workspace with one photo above the other, the workspace will need to
be as wide as the widest measurement (1195 pixels), and as high as the
height of both photos added together (870+957=1827 pixels). So my
workspace needs to be 1205 pixels wide and 1827 pixels high, but since
I like to add a 100 to 200-pixel buffer zone, I am going to make a
workspace 1300 pixels wide x 2000 pixels high. To do this in
PhotoImpact, select File, New, User Defined, Select Pixels in the drop
down menu next to Width, then enter 1300 in Width, 2000 in Height, and
then click on OK. There are other ways to create a workspace, but for
now this will work. Next, set the view size of your workspace to 25%.
This workspace should be large enough for both 199top.jpg and
199bottom.jpg to fit into. See an example at:
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/ .

Step 4: To copy the 199top.jpg to the workspace, use the rectangular
free size selection tool, and draw around the area you want to move
onto the workspace. Be sure to include all pertinent picture elements,
such as the page number. See an example at:
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/

Now left click, hold the cursor in the center of the frame and drag it
over to the workspace, then release it, and it should copy to the
workspace. Another method would be to go up to Edit, and select Copy,
then click on the workspace, go to Edit, and select the "Paste as an
object" command. A third method, that is probably universal to all
Windows programs, is to Right Click in the frame, when the menu comes
up select Copy, then Right Click on the workspace, and select Paste.
As you can see, there are numerous ways to accomplish the same task.
See an example at: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/ .

Step 5: Repeat step 4 using the 199bottom.jpg file. Now you have both
halves in one workspace.

Step 6: Close your two documents (199top.jpg and 199bottom.jpg) making
sure not to save any changes, as you want to keep your original
documents original. At this point, the only item you have open is the
workspace that contains two objects, 199top and 199bottom. You should
be able to click on either object and move it around. Move the top
and bottom photos into position so that the bottom of top is touching
the top of bottom and there is space around the edges-now don't get
confused this is the easy part. See an example at:
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/ .

Step 7: Zoom to 75% and move the view to the place where the two
document halves come together at the left hand edge. See an example
at: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/

Step 8: To make the first match, right Click on the bottom half, then
select Properties from the menu that comes up. When the Object
Properties box appears, select the General tab and put 40 in the
Transparency field. You can do this by highlighting what ever is in
there and typing 40, or you can use the up and down arrows to go to
40, or you can click the arrow and bring up the slider bar that allows
you to select 40. This means that the selection will be 40%
transparent. Click OK, and when you come back the bottom half is
transparent if you move it over the top half. See an example at:
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/

Step 9: Find two lines in the document that are the same. Move the
bottom half of the document up until the left hand edge matches the
top half document. Try to get one word on the left half to match up
nearly perfectly, even if the whole line doesn't match up.
See an example at: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/ .

Step 10: Assuming you could get one or more of the words on the left
hand side to match, you can determine what needs to be done to make
the entire line match by looking at the words on the right hand side.
For instance, if a line in the bottom half is longer than the same
line in the top half, then the bottom needs to be narrower. Or if the
right end of one of the documents is higher when the left end is
matched up, then one of the halves needs to be rotated. See an example
at: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/ .

Step 11: Use the Transform tool, with the Free Resize option to fix
halves of different size. When you select the Transform tool, and
Free Resize, eight handles appear around the selected half. There
will be one handle at each corner, and one in the middle of each side.
Now click on one of the handles on the right hand edge and hold down
the SHIFT key on your keyboard. (This keeps the aspect ratio of the
graphic. So you don't turn it into a tall narrow document.) Next, move
the side in until the ends of the lines match in width. You may need
to adjust the graphic up or down after moving the edges in. See an
example at: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/

To fix the rotation problem, select the Transform tool and click on
the half you want to rotate, it doesn't matter which half you choose.
Next, set the amount of rotation, by typing into the Rotate By Degree
Window of the tool attributes bar. I like to start with a .25 (that
is ¼ of a degree). Make the rotation, by clicking on the arrow to the
side of the Rotate By Degree window that represents the direction you
want to rotate. See an example at:
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/

After you have fixed rotation and size, the documents should match up
fairly well. Again, these don't have to be perfect matches.

Step 12: To stitch the halves together, right click on the bottom half
that is 40% transparent, and from the menu that pops up, select
Properties, from that menu, on the General page, set the Transparency
to 0% and click OK. If the document looks good, right click on it
anywhere, and select Merge All from the menu that comes up. See an
example at: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/upfront/110702/ .

Step 13: To finish, zoom to 25%, and using the rectangular selection
tool, select the whole document eliminating any extraneous edges.
Then under Edit, select Crop, and then save your work.

Well, I've rambled on to long. My editor is sure to scream about how
long this is so I'll save the procedure for cleaning up the
document plus several other exercises for our next issue. 'Til then
think digital--Denny

Contributed by Dennis Ridenour, or


Note: To download previous issues of "UpFront with NGS" go to
http://www.NGSgenealogy.org/upfront/archives.

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News Item
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Molecular Genealogy Draws Record Crowd in Calgary

On the evening of Friday, October 25th, over four hundred avid
genealogists braved a freezing drizzle and falling temperatures to
attend a presentation by Dr.Tod Schulthess, general manager of the
Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Project. This was the kickoff event for
FamilyRoots 2002, a presentation of the Alberta Family Histories
Society ( an NGS member society) in cooperation with the Calgary
Family History Center. At the conclusion of the evening, Dr.
Schulthess told organizers this was by far the largest group to have
heard the foundation's presentation to date.

At the full conference the following day, genealogists could select
from six lecture tracks covering a wide range of topics. Speakers
were drawn from all over Western Canada, several of whom had made
presentations at the last two NGS National Conferences in Portland and
Milwaukee. The display hall was divided into three distinct areas,
one for vendors, a second for genealogical groups and local repository
representatives, and a third for demonstrations. This latter area
featured continuous demonstrations of genealogical software by the
local user groups. Dr.Schulthess, whose group was adding to the 350
DNA samples collected the previous evening, remarked that FamilyRoots
2002 was one of the best-organized conferences he had attended.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the media for their
enthusiastic support, the vendors for the quality of their displays,
the many volunteers who gave so freely of their time, and most of all
to the hundreds of genealogists, many of whom had traveled a
considerable distance to attend, and all of whom put up with the icy
roads and miserable weather to make this one of our most successful
conferences.

Gordon Hulbert
Chairman, Family Roots 2002

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News Item
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In Memory of P. William Filby

P. William Filby died in Savage, Maryland on 2 November 2002. He was
born in Cambridge England in 1911. He was a rare book librarian at the
Cambridge University Library and then Director of the Cambridge
University Science Library. During the World War II he was a
cryptographer at Bletchley where ULTRA was broken, and following his
marriage to Vera Ruth Weakliem he came to America in 1957.

He was librarian and assistant director of the Peabody Library,
Baltimore which possessed a rich genealogical collection, especially
British material. Knowing nothing about genealogy he decided that such
a collection had to be used and made known to unsuspecting
genealogists, and he proceeded to acquaint himself with the subject.
In those days libraries were not interested in genealogy or
genealogists; but being sympathetic to them, he determined that they
should receive better treatment. Since he knew little about the
subject upon arrival he decided to issue a book which would help
beginning genealogists and librarians by telling them what was
available for their research. "American and British Genealogy and
Heraldry," published in 1970 was an immediate success; the second
edition was issued in 1976 and the third in 1983, and a supplement in
1986. The third edition was included in the best ten reference books
of 1983, and with the supplement it contains 13,000 titles, with
annotations, and over 30,000 index entries. The Library of Congress
staff regards it as its "genealogy Bible."

He moved to the Maryland Historical Society in 1966 as its librarian
and became director in l972. There he found an interest in emigration,
and following his retirement in 1978, he was engaged by Gale Research,
Detroit to head the genealogy section, and being given a carte blanche
he commenced to bring together the many sources of passenger lists. In
1981, with Mary K. Meyer he published a 3 volume set, "Passenger and
Immigration Lists Index" containing 500,000 names, with ages, date and
port of arrival, family brought with him, source of the entry.

Supplements followed annually and by the time he died, well over one
million names had been listed; he had another million waiting
publication. Harold Lancour's "Bibliography of Ship Passenger Lists"
(1981) had remained the classics until Filby produced another
"Bibliography of Passenger and Immigration Lists" (1984). Lancour had
262 sources but since Filby's had 1009 and the supplement published in
1984 had another 600, Lancour was completely superseded. Another
supplement containing 500 new sources was being compiled. During the
depression the WFA produced a list of Philadelphia naturalizations
from 1789-1880, but it was available in six copies (all typescript)
which were almost unreadable. He therefore edited them and the
"Philadelphia Naturalization Records" (1982) was issued. It contained
121,000 names and since Mrs. Filby gave the locations of the
originals many researchers have found much about their ancestors.

With Mary K. Meyer he compiled the first "Who's Who in Genealogy and
Heraldry," containing biographies of 800 leading genealogists and
heraldists in the world. It was successful but attempts to produce
volume two were unsuccessful because genealogists did not return their
forms, and it was abandoned in July 1986. A "Bibliography of American
County Histories" (1985) was an immediate success.

Besides writing books, Bill was a popular speaker throughout U.S. and
he wrote many genealogical articles. He was a Fellow of the National
Genealogical Society, Society of Genealogists (London) and Utah
Genealogical Association. He left much work on the immigration lists
in the capable hands of Dorothy M. Lower, for many years genealogical
librarian of the Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, and it is
hoped that someone will continue the "American and British Genealogy
and Heraldry," since almost one thousand new books are issued
annually.

In 1998, Scholarly Resources, publishers of Wilmington, Delaware
awarded an annual prize of $1,000 and named it the Filby Prize, to be
awarded to a genealogical librarian.

In 2000 the American Society of Genealogists conferred its Certificate
of Appreciation for his genealogical publications.

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Previous Issues of UpFront with NGS
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Did you miss an issue of UpFront with NGS? Previous issues are located
at http://www.NGSgenealogy.org/upfront/archives/

Searchable issues of UpFront with NGS are on RootsWeb:
http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=NGS

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Family Reunion Calendar
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To add your family reunion to this calendar, please send an
announcement to

To view a complete list of other coming events visit
http://www.NGSgenealogy.org/newscoming.htm

June 21, 2003
The PINEGAR Family will be holding the annual PINEGAR family reunion
in the Des Moines, IA area on 21 June 2003. We are seeking names and
addresses of all relatives so we can contact each and every one
possible. We are planning a fun filled day for all and hoping to
exchange family pictures along with family history.
For further info contact :

June 28, 2003
Armand Allard DUPLANTIER: A Family Reunion and Celebration of Armand
Duplantier's 250th birthday will be held Saturday, June 28, 2003, at
Magnolia Mound Plantation in Baton Rouge, LA. All descendants of
Armand Duplantier are invited to attend. If you are a descendant of
Armand Duplantier, please mail or e-mail your name, address, phone
number and e-mail address to Margo Duplantier Rhinehart, 712
Carondelet St, Mandeville, LA 70448, e-mail: We
would also like to have the names and addresses of any other
descendants you might know. If possible, please let us know how you
are descended. Some of the other family names descended from Armand
are Favrot, Peniston, Reynaud, Toca, Hatkinson, Fortin, Laquier,
Aucoin, Meffre-Rouzan, Kleinpeter, Burke, Randolf, D'Armond, Hathorn,
Noland, Lamon, and others. If you think you might be a descendant but
aren't sure, let us know and we will try to help find out. We will
put you on our mailing list for this exciting event, and further
information will be sent out soon. In the meantime, please visit our
Website at http://www.duplantier.org.

July 4, 2003
The GIACOLETTI family of BISBEE, ARIZONA will be having their family
reunion on 04 July 2003 at the GIACOLETTI Ranch in Bisbee, Arizona.
If more information is needed please contact

July 18, 19, 20, 2003
"Mother Cumberland-A Harvest of Memories: Reunion 2003" will be hosted
by the Brady Family Heritage Association on July 18, 19, 20, 2003
at the Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, Cumberland County,
Pennsylvania. For more information contact Donna Cuillard at
or visit the Brady Family Heritage Association Web
site at http://bradyheritage.org/reunion2003.htm

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How to Submit Items for Publication in UpFront
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To submit an article, a helpful tip or news for publication,
please send e-mail to: Co-Editors: Carla and Dennis Ridenour,
or or

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NGS Contact Information
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National Genealogical Society
4527 17th Street North
Arlington, Virginia 22207-2399
Phone: (703) 525-0050 or (800) 473-0060
Fax: (703) 525-0052
E-mail:
http://www.NGSgenealogy.org

Membership

http://www.NGSgenealogy.org/member.htm

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http://www.NGSgenealogy.org/conf.htm

Learning Center

http://www.NGSgenealogy.org/edu.htm

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http://www.NGSgenealogy.org/libwelcome1.htm

Volunteers


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