Ringing in 2010
With the New Year, new and different Web sites are appearing. WebRings has been around for years and the big difference is that sites on WebRings do not have to be found by search engines. That is, Web site creators link their sites to the Ring. Once looking at the Ring, you go from site to site – you could go around the Ring and back to the beginning.
The Genealogy World WebRing www.wwebring.com is such a collection. It covers heaps of other topics, but look under Genealogy and Families for some interesting sites.
Look for KiwiGen genealogy webring – established in 1998 and badly needing more sites! If you have created a Web site, think about adding the link to this WebRing.
Worth looking at are Surnames WebRings, and www.usgenweb.org – great for quick answers for US research queries. See also webringworld.org – lots to look at here.
Have you heard about Google Earth's historical imagery (tinyurl.com/nodn26)? Go back in time to look at your neighbourhood, home town, etc. and see how they've changed over time.
Look at historical aerial images, taken over European cities during World War II. Images taken in 1943 show the effect of wartime bombing on more than 35 European towns and cities. See the devastating impact of war on the people in those cities, and also the remarkable way in which urban environments are reconstructed and regenerated over time.
The British Library Timeline features 800 years of historical sources, from Magna Carta to Obama. The interactive timeline allows you to explore British Library collection items chronologically, from medieval times to the present day. It includes a diverse combination of texts: those that allow glimpses of everyday life (handbills, posters, letters, diaries), remnants of political events (charters, speeches, campaign leaflets), and the writings of some of our best known historical and literary figures. From the British Library Web site (www.bl.uk/timeline).
If you have time on your hands, take a look at tinyurl.com/yfhkzg3 This is the diary of Nathaniel Bryceson, a 19 year-old wharf clerk in Pimlico in 1846, which is being serialised online throughout 2010 by City of Westminster Archives.
Have you watched the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are on TV? You may have heard of 'Who Do You Think You Are - Live'.
This is an enormous family history fair, held each year in London, featuring hundreds of exhibitors, repositories, computer programs, displays, seminars, research opportunities, experts on matters genealogical, goodies for sale and much more!
Well, New Zealand's first Family History Fair will be held in Hamilton, July 17th-18th, 2010. Go to www.nzfamilyhistoryfair.org.nz to read all about it.
Book early for the seminars of your choice. See you there!
