Article below snipped from the Eastman newsletter: Please scroll down to the article. (I wanted to leave some of Eastman's headings.) The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2000 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. >Date: 6 Aug 2000 17:29:36 -0000 >From: "Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter" <[email protected]> >Subject: Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter > >Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter - http://www.rootscomputing.com > > ========================================================== > > Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter > > A Weekly Summary of Events and > Topics of Interest to Online Genealogists > > Vol. 5 No. 32 - August 5, 2000 > > This newsletter is sponsored by Ancestry.com, > a leader in providing print and electronic > research information to genealogists. > > To learn about Ancestry.com's > state-of-the-art online genealogy databases > and other fine products, > visit the company's three Internet properties, > MyFamily.com, Ancestry.com, and FamilyHistory.com > > Past issues of this Newsletter > are available at: >http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/news/articles/d_p_1_archive.asp > > ========================================================== > >Copyright (C) 2000 by Richard W. Eastman. All rights reserved. > >If you do contact any of the companies or societies mentioned in >this newsletter, please tell them that you read about their >services in this newsletter. > >============================================================ > >IN THIS ISSUE: > >- Bygones for Windows and Macintosh >- NGS Announces Rubincam Youth Award >- Identity Restored to 100,000 Louisiana Slaves >- Burton Historical Collection Closed Until October 15 >- GENTECH 2001 Exhibitor Information Now Available >- My Speech in Boston >- Family Date Reminders On Your Pager >- Update on 1921 Newfoundland Online Census Project >- Update on "African American Genealogy, A Bibliography and Guide to >Sources" >- Ellis Island Buildings Restoration Grant >- From the Mailbox >- Cadillac Was No Hero >- Upcoming Events > >============================================================ > >============================================================ > > - Identity Restored to 100,000 Louisiana Slaves > >Researching black genealogy has always been a challenge. Alex >Halley obviously had great success, documented in his famous book, >"Roots." However, many would-be black genealogists become >discouraged when they learn that Halley spent years doing research >to find all those ancestors. Information about pre-1865 blacks has >not been well documented and often is not easily obtainable. Now, >however, detailed information about thousands of Louisiana slaves >is available on CD-ROM. Thanks to years of painstaking work by >Gwendolyn Midlo Hall, a 71-year-old historian who lives in New >Orleans, an enormous amount of information is coming to light >about the captives who were brought to Louisiana in the 18th and >19th centuries. > >The New York Times ran a major article recently detailing Hall's >15 years spent in the courthouses of Louisiana, as well as in >archives in Spain, France and Texas, seeking all records of slave >transactions and entering them into laptop computers. Aided by >several research assistants, she amassed computerized records on >more than 100,000 slaves -- the largest collection of individual >slave information ever assembled -- and in March the Louisiana >State University Press published the documents as a searchable >database on a CD-ROM. > >To read the full article, go to: >http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/073000la-slaves.html > > >============================================================ > > - Burton Historical Collection Closed Until October 15 > >One of the mid-West's largest genealogy collections will be closed >for the next two months. The Burton Historical Collection, part of >the Detroit Public Library system, houses a great collection of >genealogy books and other records of interest. This great resource >came close to disaster. However, the library was well prepared for >the forces of nature. > >The following announcement was released this week by the Detroit >Public Library: > > As Detroit's storm drains overflowed during last Friday's > downpour, water entered Main Library at the A-level basement. > Many books, government documents, magazines and photograph > collections are stored on A and B basement levels. The water > -- approximately 1-2 inches in depth -- spread across A- level > finding cracks in the floor and seeped down to the Library's > B-level. Fortunately, the library was prepared. > > Bill Martin, Library Security Guard, discovered the water > during routine rounds the evening of July 28, 2000 at 8:34 > p.m. Sandra Clemons, Deputy Director said, "Water is not > something we are used to seeing in libraries, but we were > prepared and took immediate action to preserve our collections > and maintain public service. Main Library opened its doors to > the public Saturday morning and the clean up began." > > Maurice Wheeler, Library Director, complimented library staff > stating, "Throughout this ordeal staff made excellent > decisions at every step in the process. They worked long > hours and responded to every request, without question." > Water and humidity are not friends of books and identifying > damaged materials was done immediately. > > After the water was extracted from A and B levels, Document > Reprocessors, a company that specializes in repairing damaged > books and library materials, moved in to identify damaged > materials for restoration. Document Reprocessors is known and > respected throughout the library and archive preservation > fields for their freeze-drying restoration process. Books and > other materials from the Burton Historical Collection, > Sociology and Economics and Technology and Science > departments, including government documents, will be frozen > and taken to New York for processing. > > Because of the damage the Burton Historical Collection will be > closed until October 15, 2000. Assistant Director for Main > Library, Jon Cawthorne, stated, "Library archivists will take > this opportunity to inventory the library's special holdings. > We recognize this closure will inconvenience our many > customers who use the Burton Collection, but ultimately this > will improve access to genealogy, local history, photos and > rare materials. > > "Although the damaged books, documents and materials will be > inaccessible for a short period of time," stated Sandra > Clemons, "we have been assured that all of our materials will > be restored for public use." > > The Detroit Public Library has 24 branches and is a member of > Detroit Associated Library Network (DALNET), a consortium > consisting of 21 other specialized and academic library > systems. > > The Detroit Public Library's Main Library serves as a state > resource because of its special collections and services and > the extensive reference and historical collections maintained > in a variety of subject departments. Main Library will > continue to maintain its current public service hours. > >========================================================== > >Are you interested in the articles in this newsletter? Would you >like to learn more or ask questions or make comments about these >articles? Join this newsletter's online discussion group on >CompuServe's Genealogy Techniques Forum. CompuServe members using >Netscape, Internet Explorer or CompuServe 2000 can go to >http://go.compuserve.com/GenealogyForum. If you are using Classic >CompuServe, you can GO ROOTS. > >========================================================== > >If you would like to submit news, information or press releases >for possible inclusion in future newsletters, send them to >[email protected] The author does reserve the right to accept >or reject any articles submitted. > >========================================================== > >DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is being written and sent via e-mail >at no charge. I expect to write one new issue on a more or less >weekly basis. However, life sometimes interferes, and the need to >earn a living may create an occasional delay. > >========================================================== > >COPYRIGHTS: The contents of this newsletter are copyright by >Richard W. Eastman with the following exception: > >Many of the articles published in these newsletters contain quotes >or references from others, especially from other Web sites, >software users manuals, press releases and other public >announcements. Any words in this newsletter attributed to another >person or organization remain the copyrighted materials of the >original author(s). > >You are hereby granted rights, unless otherwise specified, to re- >distribute articles from this newsletter to other parties >provided: > > 1. You do so strictly for non-commercial purposes > 2. Your re-distribution is limited to one or two articles per > newsletter; do not re-distribute the newsletter in its > entirety > 3. You may not republish any articles containing words attributed > to another person or organization until you obtain permission > from that person or organization. While you do have permission > to republish words written by Richard W. Eastman, you do not > have automatic authority to republish words written by others, > even if their words appear in this newsletter. > >Also, please include the following statement with any articles you >re-distribute: > > The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy > Newsletter and is copyright 2000 by Richard W. Eastman. It is > re-published here with the permission of the author. > >Thank you for your cooperation. > >========================================================== > >Subscription information: There are two different methods to >subscribe to this free newsletter: > > Method #1: to subscribe, to cancel an existing subscription or > to modify an existing subscription in any way, go to: > > http://rootscomputing.listbot.com > >If you want to see the current issue as well as back issues of the >newsletter, look on the World Wide Web at: > > >http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/news/articles/d_p_1_archive.asp > > Method #2: Send an e-mail to rootscomputing- > [email protected] > >Please feel free to copy this subscription information and pass it >on to anyone else who you think might be interested in obtaining a >free subscription. > > >========================================================== > >About the author: Dick Eastman is the forum manager of the three >Genealogy Forums on CompuServe. He also is the author of "YOUR >ROOTS: Total Genealogy Planning On Your Computer" published by >Ziff-Davis Press. He can be reached at: [email protected]