DC: National Archives' free genealogy fair

The National Archives in Washington, DC, is hosting its fourth annual genealogy fair this year from 9.30am-4.30pm Wednesday, April 23. It is free and open to the public.

The event is smack-dab in the middle of Passover - make sure to bring some edible holiday goodies for lunch - and head on over if you're in the neighborhood.

This year's program includes:

Federal records located at the National Archives relating to general genealogy, World War I, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Sessions will offer guidance on topics including Civil War pension files, Freedmen's Bureau marriage records, World War I draft registration records, and New Deal publications. National Archives staff will demonstrate how to use databases including the Archival Research Catalog (ARC) and Access to Archival Databases (AAD).

Speakers include Marian Smith (USCIS historian); author Raff Ellis (Kisses from a Distance: An Immigrant Family Experience) and National Archives experts Susan Abbott, Bill Creech, John Deeben, Kenneth Heger, Claire Kluskens, Constance Potter and Reginald Washington.

The schedule of lectures and demonstrations is here.

The location is the Research Center Lobby, National Archives Building, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington D.C. Rememer that government-issued ID or student ID is required to enter. For reservations, directions and other information, click here.

WorldVitalRecords: Employee research perk

Wouldn't you like to be able to research your own family history for 10% of your paid time? Does that sound like a dream job? That's what WorldVitalRecords employees will be receiving, writes founder CEO Paul Allen in this blog posting.

Allan refers to Marissa Mayer's talk at Stanford about Google's culture of innovation. She said that every Google engineer is permitted to work on his or her own pet project for 20% of their time. She added that in the second half of 2005, 50% of Google products came from that 20%.

Blogged Allen:

That is a very different culture from most companies I've ever seen, where few people are energized with new ideas, and those that have great ideas are often frustrated by politics or lack of resources to the point where they have no hope that their ideas will be heard or implemented.

Allen described some recent encounters that helped him decide on this new perk:

A genealogist recently asked Allen, "Why can't we get you guys (meaning those of us who run genealogy internet companies) to do genealogy yourselves so that you
know what we need you to build for us."

Although he defended himself by saying that he's read 2,000 pages about genealogy sources in the past year, the genealogist continued, "But reading about genealogy, and doing genealogy are two very different things."

Allen also saw another blogger's post from several months ago wishing that "Dick Eastman could be the CEO of a genealogy internet company so that it would be sure to do all the right things."

And so he decided to do something that related to these encounters and his March 18 posting included:

And I know that if we take the time to use our own products continually, that we will have more insights about how to improve the user experience.

So, today I am announcing 10% time for all employees at FamilyLink.com.

I am asking every full time employee in the company to spend 10% of their paid time working on their own family history. This includes researching, collaborating, preserving, and sharing. It means using our web sites and other software and web sites as well.

I will commit to do the same.

In addition, I am asking each employee to document the frustrations and obstacles they encounter along the way. And whenever they have an idea about how to improve something to jot it down.

I will regularly review the top ideas that are submitted by each employee.

As Marissa Mayer kept a list of the top 100 personal projects under way at Google, I will keep a running list of the top 100 best ideas for improving the online experience in family history.

To determine the best ideas, I may use my own subjective judgment or have a few advisors review them with me, or maybe even rely upon the "wisdom of the crowds" and use customer surveys to gather votes.

Each month, I will award bonuses to the employees who submitted the best ideas.

Once we have this structure in place, I'd like to open it up to our customers as well, and reward them for taking the time to tell us how we can improve our services.

There's more, so click here to read it all.

JewishGen: Message from Warren Blatt

Warren Blatt has been named JewishGen's managing director following the departure of founder Susan King. Here is his message to the JewishGen community:

As you are aware, Susan King has stepped down as the Managing Director of JewishGen, after 20 years of dedicated service. In addition to founding JewishGen, Susan has been an inspiration and motivating force for all of us, and will be greatly missed. We at JewishGen and the Museum of Jewish Heritage wish Susan all the best, and will continue to embrace her spirit and dream as we move forward.

As I assume the post of Managing Director, I want to send greetings to those who already know me, and introduce myself to what I hope will be new friends and colleagues. I have been part of JewishGen since 1990, and been its Editor-in-Chief for many years.

As JewishGen moves into this new phase, we will be integrating more fully with our parent organization, the Museum of Jewish Heritage. As of April 1, 2008, the offices of JewishGen have been relocated from League City, Texas to the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, located in Manhattan's Battery Park. JewishGen has been an affiliate of the Museum since 2003, and this move was initiated in order to better integrate JewishGen's functions with Museum programs and provide a seamless delivery of services to the JewishGen community.

The mailing address of JewishGen is now: JewishGen, Inc., Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10280. Phone: (646) 437-4326 . Fax: (646) 437-4328.

One of the unfortunate consequences of this transition is that two of our dedicated employees were not able to join us in the new location. The entire JewishGen community joins to acknowledge the work of Joanna Fletcher and Becky Rogers, who have served JewishGen for over 8 years.

Over the next few months, in addition to becoming more fully integrated with the Museum, we will be announcing several new projects, as well as giving you a glimpse into our plans for the future of JewishGen.

Michael Tobias and I continue Susan's tradition, by striving to grow JewishGen and take it to the next level. But be assured that we will not venture too far from our roots; we are built on our volunteers. JewishGen's volunteers are our wealth and strength, and that will always remain. We are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our family. Both Michael and I hope to see many of you at the IAJGS Conference in Chicago this summer.

I look forward to working with all of you over the months and years ahead, as JewishGen continues to be the leading internet resource for Jewish genealogy.

Again, I wish to greet all of you, and as we move into this holiday season, wish you and your family a Chag Sameach and Happy Pesach, from me and my family.

Warren Blatt
Managing Director
JewishGen

JewishGen: Museum of Jewish Heritage statement

JewishGen's home page today includes a message from the Museum of Jewish Heritage's director Dr. David G. Marwell concerning changes at the genealogy site.

As most Genners know, JewishGen has been a Museum affiliate since 2003.

A Message from the Museum of Jewish Heritage

Dear Friends:

After more than two decades of extraordinary leadership, Susan King’s tenure as Managing Director of JewishGen has come to an end. Susan’s vision and dedication saw JewishGen develop from a bulletin board in the early Internet era to the premier online resource for Jewish genealogy today.

Perhaps more than any other person, Susan, through JewishGen, has changed the way research on Jewish family history is conducted. Her inspiration has not only provided missing branches for family trees, but has also brought long separated families together. She has left a profound mark on a pioneering institution. The JewishGen family owes Susan a substantial debt of gratitude, and we wish her the very best for the future.

David G. Marwell, Ph.D.
Director
Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

His message leads to a Museum press release:

Susan King, A Revolutionary in the World of Jewish Genealogy, To Leave JewishGen

NEW YORK, NY – Susan King, the founder of JewishGen, the primary Internet source connecting Jewish genealogy researchers from around the world, is leaving the organization after 21 years.

“Susan King’s tenure as Managing Director of JewishGen has ended after more than two decades of extraordinary leadership of that pioneering institution,” announced Dr. David G. Marwell, director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage--A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City, which oversees JewishGen. “Susan’s vision and dedication saw JewishGen develop from a bulletin board in the early Internet era to the premier online resource for Jewish genealogy today.”

Dr. Marwell also announced the appointment of Warren Blatt, currently the Editor-in-Chief of JewishGen, to serve as JewishGen's new Managing Director. Mr. Blatt, who has been actively involved with JewishGen since 1990, was awarded the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies' Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. “Warren Blatt brings great skill and experience to his new position, and we look forward to working with him,” Dr. Marwell said.

In an email to the JewishGen community, Susan King wrote, “We can all take enormous pride in what we have established collectively. There is nothing better than knowing that you have fulfilled a dream and to know you have made a difference in so many lives. Even though I may be moving forward, please know that JewishGen will remain in my heart forever.”

Founded by Ms. King in 1987, JewishGen is the principal Internet source connecting Jewish genealogy researchers from around the world. With more than 300,000 registered users, its most popular features are the JewishGen Discussion Group, the JewishGen Family Finder, ShtetLinks sites for more than 200 communities, Yizkor Book translations, and databases containing more than 13 million genealogical records.

Created to assist those interested in researching their Jewish ancestry, JewishGen, Inc. is staffed primarily by volunteers. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit corporation relying on the generosity of its users to ensure continued growth. JewishGen has been an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage since 2003.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust educates people of all ages and backgrounds about the rich tapestry of Jewish life over the past century — before, during, and after the Holocaust. Current special exhibitions include Daring to Resist: Jewish Defiance in the Holocaust; Sosúa: A Refuge for Jews in the Dominican Republic; and “To Return to the Land…” Paul Goldman’s Photographs of the Birth of Israel. The Museum offers visitors a vibrant public program schedule in its Edmond J. Safra Hall and is home to Andy Goldsworthy’s memorial Garden of Stones, as well as James Carpenter’s Reflection Passage, Gift of The Gruss Lipper Foundation. The Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and is a founding member of the Museums of Lower Manhattan.

JewishGen: How it all began

Readers who are new to Jewish genealogy may think that JewishGen has been around forever. There was a time when JewishGen did not exist, although we barely remember those days.

Here's an article providing the details of how it all began. Every worthwhile endeavor begins with the creative spark of an inspired individual - Susan King provided that spark and lit a veritable fire. She provided a gathering point for thousands upon thousands of people around the world who wanted to research their Jewish families.

In 2004, Genealogical Computing magazine carried an excellent story about Jewishgen founder Susan E. King, It described her background, how she had become involved in genealogy and the journey that resulted in JewishGen.

Authored by Barbara Krasner-Khait, it is archived here.

Susan E. King: Founder of JewishGen

When I was growing up, I felt like the last person on the block to join in,” says New Orleans native and Texas transplant Susan E. King, founder of the popular Internet home of Jewish genealogy, JewishGen. Susan had always wanted to do something different, but she says, “Most attempts were failures. I wasn't always able to pull it off.”

That pattern changed when the marketing communications entrepreneur joined her parents on a visit to a Galveston Jewish cemetery. During that trip, she learned her family migrated from Spain to Courland (now in present-day Latvia) and that subsequent family members then arrived in the Americas through Veracruz, Mexico, and New Orleans, eventually settling in Galveston.

King and her parents tried to find family in the cemetery but were unsuccessful. They went to see a cousin, a 92-year-old woman, who told them the correct cemetery was just two blocks away. In that cemetery, King discovered a huge obelisk with eight or nine burials. One of the tombstones was for her great-grandfather, born in “Reggae” (Riga), Kurland. She consulted a map but couldn't find “Reggae.”

The next day, while giving a marketing communications presentation to a major Texas-based oil company, she related the story about the cemetery visit with her parents. A man sitting at the conference table said, “You might want to get involved in genealogy.” He scribbled some extensive notes on a sheet of paper and placed it in her pocket. Later she realized he had outlined how she could get started in genealogy. He counseled her to sign onto the National Genealogy Conference Bulletin Board.

The Birth of JewishGen

When King first developed an interest in genealogy, she was running her own marketing communications company and was looking for a hobby. She became fascinated with computers and bought herself one of the first IBM “luggables.”

King participated in the National Genealogy Conference Bulletin Board for two or three years. She asked a lot of questions. She had exhausted all the knowledge other participants had but still had unanswered questions. She thought about how nice it would be to have a specific Jewish forum. She says, “I wasn't crossing the pond.”

She wanted to set herself up as an echo. She configured her computer and in a few months, she started a Jewish genealogy echo. She quickly had 30 to 40 regular users. When an unwanted religious faction bought into the echo, King decided to pay to move hers into an Israeli bulletin board. She began using the Internet to initiate a mailing list. To make the forum more accessible, she offered a bulletin board, e-mail, and newsgroup options.

JewishGen began about 1987 on the Fidonet bulletin board circuit and quickly segued to the Internet in 1989–90 to a mailing list, making the forum more accessible to individuals all over the world. In fact, JewishGen was one of the first genealogy websites to allow text-based e-mail searches of data, including the precursor to the current Yizkor Book database, early data from Russian Era Indexing of Poland Project (REIPP, now Jewish Records Indexing or JRI-Poland), and the JGFF (then the Jewish Genealogy Family Finder).

King says of JewishGen at this early time, “We were hobbyists, but we formed an informal, executive-type committee.” The “we” includes Bernie Kouchel, Warren Blatt, Gary Mokotoff, King, and others.

Although the JewishGen website began to witness an exponential rise in visits, says King, “We did not have a clue to the enormity of what we were doing until the mid-to-late nineties.”

The site's impact hit the unassuming innovator, oddly enough, far away from home in Krakow, Poland. JewishGen had done some work for the Oswiecim (Auschwitz) Museum and was in the process of building JewishGen Shtetlshleppers, a travel program to visit ancestral towns in Eastern Europe, with new destinations and partners. While in the old part of Krakow, King entered a synagogue. A woman there spoke initially in French and then switched to English. She was on a business trip with her husband. She asked King who she was with. King explained, and the woman told her that she and her husband log onto JewishGen every morning—from France. To King, this was a telling tale. JewishGen had impact all over the world and in ways she could never have imagined.

She characterizes JewishGen as the “first bringing together of the Jewish people since we left Egypt. This was the first time Jews had a place to come together—no matter what their personal religious beliefs or practice.”

JewishGen has grown organically with a free-spirited attitude toward development. Says King, “When we first started, we had no model. We created as we went.” If someone offered an idea, she and her team thought about whether it could be done. The site gets more than 4.5 million hits a month.

Despite its popularity, the site has not grown slick or commercial. The focus is constantly on the end-user experience. King says, “We keep it simple on purpose, so users can get to where they want to go.”

A Mission to Live By

What sets JewishGen apart from other genealogical informational and transactional websites, says King, is that it has “held steadfast to its mission and has never wobbled.”

JewishGen's goal is to ensure that Jewish lives, both past and present, woven into the fabric of social and cultural history, rise again from the ashes of the destroyed communities. To this end, JewishGen is determined as well as dedicated to do whatever it takes to ensure it preserves Jewish history for future generations.

Because the mission is so broadly stated, opportunities for site expansion and development are wide. Still, King admits that not all ideas turn into reality. “Some people think we should be all things to all people,” says King. That would not be true to the mission or to financial capabilities. JewishGen relies on the voluntary financial support of its thousands of daily users.

Although she's been at the helm, King claims she has always been fortunate to have a great crew and outstanding working relationships, especially in light of the fact that JewishGen's staff members are based all over the world.

“JewishGen is a team effort,” she says. “I've allowed people to excel. I push them to the limits.” In the early days, they communicated by e-mail. Each staff member is focused, creative, and pitches in to offer something valuable.

Aside from the salaried staff, JewishGen relies on about 700 volunteers worldwide. More than 1,200 people contribute to the site's data sources. Yet with all this active volunteerism, JewishGen continues to face a challenge.

Merger with the Museum of Jewish Heritage

On 31 December 2002, JewishGen publicly announced its new relationship with the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. King viewed this as a necessary step to accommodate the website's future growth and financial requirements. The museum took over the daily business operational needs including administration and finance, communications and public relations, human resources and volunteer management, and fundraising.

As a result of the announcement, Susan King was named Managing Director of JewishGen, a position through which she continues to oversee the day-to-day operations and serve as the conduit for new projects and programs.

Innovation Click

Susan King may have been the last on her block to join in. Maybe she was biding her time. With JewishGen, King allows her interests in computing, genealogy, and creative marketing to blend. She says, “It was something that just clicked. I was in the right place at the right time with the right interest.”

Israel: Bene Israel database, April 9

JFRA Israel's Ra'anana branch will host Nissim Moses in a program about the little-known Bene Israel genealogy database at 7pm Wednesday, April 9.

Nissim has lived in New Delhi for decades and has recently returned to live in Israel. He has compiled a family tree of the seven branches descending from the original 14 individuals of his Bene Israel community. Currently, it includes some 11,600 names of individuals who live in India, Israel, the US and around the world.

Whenever he meets someone from his community - no matter where they live in the world - he can provide them with nearly their complete family history.

In addition to speaking about Bene Israel history (one of three Jewish communities in India), he will also discuss similarities between the Hindu and Jewish religions.

The meeting will take place at Beit Fisher, 5 Klausner St, Ra'anana. Doors open at 7pm, the program starts at 7.30pm. Admission: members, NIS 5; others NIS 20.

JewishGen: Warren Blatt is new director

In a follow-up to Susan King's resignation email, Warren Blatt has been named JewishGen's managing director. Most recently, he has been the site's editor-in-chief.

For more information on the changeover at JewishGen, click here.

NEW YORK, NY – Susan King, the founder of JewishGen, the primary Internet source connecting Jewish genealogy researchers from around the world, is leaving the organization after 21 years.

“Susan King’s tenure as Managing Director of JewishGen has ended after more than two decades of extraordinary leadership of that pioneering institution,” announced Dr. David G. Marwell, director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage--A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City, which oversees JewishGen. “Susan’s vision and dedication saw JewishGen develop from a bulletin board in the early Internet era to the premier online resource for Jewish genealogy today.”

Dr. Marwell also announced the appointment of Warren Blatt, currently the Editor-in-Chief of JewishGen, to serve as JewishGen's new Managing Director. Mr. Blatt, who has been actively involved with JewishGen since 1990, was awarded the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

“Warren Blatt brings great skill and experience to his new position, and we look forward to working with him,” Dr. Marwell said.

In an email to the JewishGen community, Susan King wrote, “We can all take enormous pride in what we have established collectively. There is nothing better than knowing that you have fulfilled a dream and to know you have made a difference in so many lives. Even though I may be moving forward, please know that JewishGen will remain in my heart forever.”

Founded by Ms. King in 1987, JewishGen is the principal Internet source connecting Jewish genealogy researchers from around the world. With more than 300,000 registered users, its most popular features are the JewishGen Discussion Group, the JewishGen Family Finder, ShtetLinks sites for more than 200 communities, Yizkor Book translations, and databases containing more than 13 million genealogical records.

Created to assist those interested in researching their Jewish ancestry, JewishGen, Inc. is staffed primarily by volunteers. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit corporation relying on the generosity of its users to ensure continued growth. JewishGen has been an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage since 2003.

JewishGen: End of an era?

All of us are JewishGenners - or should be. The site has provided so many of us with information and database records enabling family connections through the generations.

We couldn't have accomplished so much without JewishGen. If it hadn't already existed, we would have had to create it along the way.

For some time, there have been rumors that something was happening at JewishGen.

Today, the following message from the site's founder - Susan King - was carried on the site's discussion groups:

There are times when it's almost impossible to find the right words, and perhaps this is one of those times.

Twenty-two years ago (seems like eons), I had an idea that grew up to be JewishGen. Over the years you may have been one of those wonderful people who offered help and together we nurtured that brainchild of mine. Together we loved it and lived it.

It has been an extraordinary ride and looking back from where we have come, we can all take enormous pride in what we have established collectively. It is a legacy that I know will follow me wherever I go for the rest of my life. There is nothing better than knowing that you have fulfilled a dream and to know you have made a difference in so many lives. I will cherish these years forever.

I am ever so grateful for the true friendships I've developed along the way, ever so grateful for the spirit of the volunteers who have worked with so much dedication over these many years creating and building a real grassroots effort that was at the core of my vision and so grateful that JewishGen has been at the center of my life for so many years.

I can't thank everyone enough for lending their talents, their skills, their hearts, their ideas and their time. Effective Monday, March 31st, I will no longer be associated with JewishGen either as an employee or as a director. Even though I may be moving forward and perhaps defining yet another life purpose, please know that JewishGen and all of you who walked the walk with me, nurturing my dream along with yours, will remain in my heart forever.

Susan

Susan E. King
JewishGen Founder