Giuliani Related to Himself

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

A genealogist tied to the Romney camp has discovered that the parents of Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani were distantly related, making Giuliani his own eighth cousin once removed.

"Never in a million years would I have guessed I'm related to someone like me," Giuliani said today in a telephone interview. "I guess there's a black sheep in every family!"

Campaign workers were stunned to learn that their candidate is related to a man who once called members of the NRA "extremists," cheated on his wife, and was kissed by Donald Trump while dressed as a drag queen. A spokesman downplayed the connection, calling it "genetically irrelevant" and criticizing Romney for his involvement in such a "desperate ploy."

This news comes on the heels of other genealogical discoveries on the campaign trail. It was learned last week that Barack Obama is related to Dick Cheney, and only yesterday Fred Thompson was found to share common ancestry with John Edward's hair stylist.

Asked for further comment, Giuliani invoked 9/11 several times, and then hung up to answer a call from his wife.

President Criticized for Commuting Sentence

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

Upon learning Wednesday that he is distantly related to Benedict Arnold, President George W. Bush immediately commuted the sentence of the Revolutionary War traitor.

Among the president's ancestors are William and Christian (Peake) Arnold of Rhode Island—the great-great-great-grandparents of General Arnold. This makes the men fourth cousins, eight times removed.

"I have given this matter a great deal of thought in the past ten minutes," said the president, "and I have decided that eternal damnation is too harsh a penalty for a man who devoted his life to public service right up until the time he stabbed his countrymen in the back."

A little-known provision of the Patriot Act gives the president the authority to overrule the judgments of God, though not of Dick Cheney. Arnold—who was condemned to Hell soon after his death in 1801—was being processed for release, and could not be reached for comment.

Democrats expressed outrage that a man who so famously betrayed the American cause would be granted a commutation, and accused the president of giving preferential treatment to a relative.

"I have to do what I think is right," countered President Bush, "even if it means letting one of my cousins off the hook. It may not be politically popular, but then neither am I."

New York Woman Wins Nobel Prize for Genealogy

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

Paula Sweetser of Brookhaven, New York, was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize for Genealogy on Monday in recognition of the years she has spent correcting people's spelling of "genealogy."

"I'm still in shock," Sweetser said in a telephone interview Monday evening. "I'm just ... lost for words."

Sweetser is seldom lost for words when she turns up a "geneology" or "geneaology" on the Internet. She's a regular on the Ancestry.com and GenForum message boards, and monitors dozens of mailing lists, waiting for someone to slip.

"We know to watch our spelling when Paula's around," said a RootsWeb list administrator who insisted that his identity not be revealed. "You mess up just once and she'll pounce."

Sweetser usually responds first with a kindly worded message that explains the etymology of "genealogy," and points out the accepted spelling of the word. Second offenses are dealt with more harshly.

"I'll admit that I do get perturbed," she confessed. "People who can't spell the word have no business in these forums. Frankly, they have no business breathing."

This take-no-prisoners approach is what earned her the prize—and the respect of her peers.

"It is nice to think that I might have peers," said Sweetser, sighing. "But I fear that I am alone in this crusade. Really, the only thing that keeps me going is the encouragement I receive from the people I correct. They're always encouraging me to 'pick on somebody else' or to 'get a life.'"

[Photo credit: Haughty and glacial (apparently) by Daveyboy Nicoll (license)]

Controversial Census Bill Becomes Law

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

Congress granted President Bush this week broad authority to interpret the census-taking guidelines of the United States government. The President welcomed the bill's passage, saying that without this new authority he wouldn't be able to fulfill his Constitutional duties.

"I swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution," he told those gathered in the Rose Garden on Friday for the bill signing. "The Constitution says we have to take a census every ten years, and ... well, if people don't want to be counted that gets me wondering what they're trying to hide."

Hiding from the census taker in 2010 will be nearly impossible, given the sweeping changes to Census Bureau policies soon to be implemented. Citizens who fail to return their census forms by mail will be visited by a representative of the Bureau—now part of the Department of Justice. Enumerators will be authorized to detain non-respondents for up to seven days, during which time they will be educated on the history and importance of the census, and encouraged to complete their forms. Enumerators will be forbidden from inflicting physical harm on the detainees, with "physical harm" defined in the new regulations as "anything that might leave a bruise."

Traditional census-taking techniques will be supplemented with techniques borrowed from the National Security Agency. As a consequence, many Americans of Middle Eastern descent will discover that their census forms have already been filled out. They will be required only to sign the form, submit their fingerprints, and name three friends they suspect of having extremist tendencies.

Civil libertarians are outraged that Congress has ceded such broad powers to the Executive Branch. Opponents of the bill blame Democrats for not mounting a filibuster, but Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid insists that the criticism is unfair.

"If not for the efforts of Senate Democrats," he contends, "this bill would have been much, much worse. Thanks to us, a person who fills out his questionnaire with the wrong colored ink will be waterboarded for only 24 hours instead of 48."

Genealogy Rules to Be Enforced

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

The same consortium that sets standards for the World Wide Web will soon begin enforcing genealogical standards on the Internet.

The W3C has empowered the National Academy of Genealogists to police genealogy websites starting next week, and to remove any sites that fail to meet minimum standards.

NAG president Jasper Hodgdon cautions website owners to double-check their online data by this weekend or risk the consequences.

"We'll be looking for inconsistent dates, improbable marriages, implausible births—all the things that signal sloppy research and detract from the genealogical authority of the Web." His face darkening, Hodgdon adds, "Of course, our main target will be unsourced data. Anyone found skimping on primary sources may well be banned from the Internet for life."

News of the coming crackdown has sparked a panic among online genealogists, who have long enjoyed lower expectations than their counterparts in print. A surge of activity at RootsWeb.com's WorldConnect Project caused the site to shut down briefly on Wednesday evening. The number of queries posted to online message boards has skyrocketed, but there is no one to answer them: volunteers are busy shoring up their own family trees.

Hodgdon sympathizes with his fellow genealogists, but is quick to point out that those who break the rules of sound research are not really his fellows.

"They are—for want of a better term—genealogical terrorists."

Asked if there really is no better term, Hodgdon replies, "No. There isn't."

[tagged: genealogy, family tree, ancestry]

South Dakota to Stop Recording Births

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

In a move meant to protect the identities of future South Dakotans, and to curb the spread of terroristic activity in their state, officials announced Monday that they will stop issuing birth certificates.

The announcement was promptly condemned by South Dakota's genealogical societies, but was praised by privacy advocates.

"This is a bold step," gushed Melvin Ferrick of Americans for Absolute Anonymity. "Studies show that every person whose identity was stolen in the past 25 years had a birth certificate. It marks you for life."

Assistant State Registrar Barbara Werner agrees. "Identity theft is rampant in South Dakota. We had two cases just last year. This measure will cut off the supply of identities at the source—just like the War on Drugs has cut off the supply of illegal narcotics."

Critics point out that birth certificates serve legitimate purposes—whether for obtaining a passport or tracing one's ancestry. But for Werner, the dangers far outweigh these trivial benefits.

"If parents really do want to expose their children to identity theft and a life of unending terror, they should give birth in Nebraska."

[Photo by Giuseppe Crimeni]

President Proposes Tax Break for Genealogists

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

In his State of the Union address this evening, President Bush proposed changes to the tax code that would benefit the nation's family historians.

"These people," said the President, "work hard. It's hard work genealogic. . .alizing, and it's time that we recognize the sacrifices they make every day."

If approved by Congress, Bush's plan would make genealogical expenses such as database subscriptions and microfilm rental fees tax-deductible, and would allow genealogists to claim their deceased ancestors as dependents.

At one point in the speech, President Bush gestured toward a woman seated beside the First Lady.

"Up there in the gallery is a lady named Millie Newman. She's a genealogist from Clarkdale, Arizona. Millie wrote me a letter . . . said she spends $2,000 a year researching her family history. One day her daughter—five years old—comes up to her and asks why they only eat two meals a day. Millie had to tell her daughter they couldn't afford breakfast because of the high price of photocopies. That's just not right, and it shouldn't happen in America."

The plan was immediately attacked by Democrats, who accused the President of kowtowing to lobbyists in the genealogy industry.

"It's the same old story," said Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). "This is just like when he gave Ancestry.com a no-bid contract to rebuild the 1890 census."

New Law a Boon to Genealogists

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

New immigration rules signed into law last week by President Bush may result in the deportation of millions of American citizens.

The so-called Lackwitty-Winesack Border Protection Act was intended to grant amnesty to illegal aliens who have resided in the United States since 1990, and to their descendants. But typographical errors discovered in the text of the bill yesterday give the law a scope and severity not intended.

"In accordance with the requirements of this statute, I must ask every American to provide written proof that he or she has an ancestor who lived in this country prior to 1490," said Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff in a speech televised to the nation Thursday afternoon. "If proof is not received by next April fifteenth, deportation proceedings will ensue."

Upon hearing this news, Americans flooded genealogy message boards with queries about suspected Native American ancestors. Professional genealogists around the country have been inundated with calls, and many have doubled or tripled their hourly rates.

Representatives of several American Indian tribes are to meet Friday in Omaha, Nebraska, to discuss how they will govern once the deportations are complete.

Lawmakers in Washington are rushing to reverse the act, but President Bush has signaled that he will not sign any repeal.

"This is not the time to change direction," he told members of the press corps traveling with him aboard Air Force One. "That would just give hope to our enemies. When you're President, you can't afford to make mistakes. Or admit to them."

1890 Census Records Discovered on eBay

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

The National Archives announced late Monday that the missing 1890 United States census schedules long thought to have been destroyed in a 1921 fire were in fact "misplaced," and have turned up on an Internet auction site.

Timothy Demers, Assistant to the National Archivist, now admits that the story of census records being destroyed in a Jan. 10, 1921 fire at the Commerce Building was "a fabrication" cooked up by the Census Director when he discovered the documents missing.

"It seems there was a clerk at Commerce with sticky fingers," Demers explains. "The Republicans had won the White House in 1920, and Wilson's crew was on the way out. So, this fellow took home some souvenirs."

Those "souvenirs" included a stack of census volumes, now possessed by the clerk's great-grandson, Jimmy Patrone of Mission City, Florida. Patrone — screen name "daytonastud839" — posted the volumes on eBay over the weekend.

Demers apologizes to genealogists for the Archives' role in perpetuating the myth of the documents' destruction—which included posting an elaborate article on the NARA website.

"Blaming it on the fire wasn't our idea, but we did inherit the lie and pass it on. It's the whole 'aliens-at-Area-51' thing all over again."

Due to the unusual circumstances of the cover-up, and the intentional destruction of additional census records in 1935, government lawyers have found no legal basis for reclaiming the records without adequately compensating Mr. Patrone.

The National Archives has not decided whether to bid for the census volumes, as "the reserve price is set really high."

Genealogue News Flash: Nobel Prize for Genealogy Awarded

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

An elderly man from rural New England has been awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize for Genealogy. Harley Millett received the news from Stockholm early Tuesday morning at his home in Anson, Maine.

"I tell you, I was surprised," Millett told The Genealogue. "Never even knew I was entered in a contest. Never knew there was a contest."

Millett is credited with advancing the study of genealogy through a practice that has become known as "Ancestor Hoarding," or "The Millett Method." It began when Millett became interested in his family's history, soon after his retirement in 1983.

"Problem was, my mother's people were all buried up to Aroostook County, and my father's folks are right here in town," Millett explained. "I figured I'd just as soon visit 'em all at once as one at a time."

Millett purchased a large piece of land in Anson to accommodate his relatives, drew a large family tree on the ground with orange spray paint, and started digging up, transporting, and reinterring the remains of his forebears, each in the appropriate spot.

"There's my folks over near the fence," Millett said, proudly pointing out the position of each grave. "My grandparents are next, then their folks. Makes it wicked easy to keep track of your lines, this way."

In all, Millett has collected 73 of his direct ancestors in this Maine field. At age 87, he is still looking for more. And he is hoping the Nobel Prize comes with a cash award.

"I've got a line on a great-great-great-grandmother down in Watertown, Mass. I sure could use a couple hundred bucks to rent a U-Haul."

Genealogue News Flash: Ancestry.com Wins an Emmy

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

The most surprising winner at Sunday night's 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards was Ancestry.com—a genealogy company based in Provo, Utah. The first-time nominee walked off with the Emmy for Best Comedic Infomercial, beating out pre-show favorite Kevin Trudeau of "Natural Cures" fame.

The company's entry featured a woman tracing her lineage back 400 years, finding family pictures, and downloading supporting documentation from the Ancestry.com website—all without adequate preparation, and all within thirty minutes of signing up.

Said fellow Emmy-winner Felicity Huffman, "It was the acting that made it seem believable. I don't understand why ... whoever it was ... wasn't nominated for Best Actress."

News Flash: Genealogist Profits from Life's Work

From the (Northam, Australia) Avon Valley Advertiser:

State buys Jan's lifetime genealogy work

Thursday, 11 August 2005

NORTHAM'S Jan Goodacre has seen the vindication of 35 years' work with the sale of her database on Western Australia's Aboriginal genealogy to the State Government.

Price has not been disclosed but Jan admits it is a "considerable sum".

A presentation will be made to Jan this Friday by the Minister for Community development Sheila McHale, but the cheque has already been banked with some of the proceeds buying a home in suburban Perth.

[snip]

[Read the whole story]