The Genealogy Guys Podcast #420

In the previous episode, The Genealogy Guys Podcast announced that, in partnership with MyHeritage.com, we were giving away a FREE MyHeritage DNA Kit. The winner is Shontè Anthony from Maryland. An email with the code to redeem the kit is in the mail!

News You Can Use and Share!

• The Black Cemetery Network (BCN) at https://blackcemeterynetwork.org is hosting an event in Tampa, Florida on 14 October 2023 from 10 AM to Noon to commemorate Black History and the Memorial Park Cemetery. It will begin with presentations at the C. Blythe Andrews Library, 2607 E. Dr. MLK Jr. Boulevard, followed by an on-site walk in the Memorial Park Cemetery next door. You are cordially invited to join us for this exciting event and to help spread the word.
  • Drew Smith and I, along with volunteers from across the country, have been deeply involved with the Zion Cemetery Project in Tampa for several years. It seeks to document all of the people interred in the "erased African-American cemetery" and bring their stories to life. All of the tombstones were removed, and portions of the property were "developed," leaving this sacred ground partially covered by buildings and the cemetery erased.
  • The University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa has been supporting and promoting this work. The Black Cemetery Network was established and strives to support and publicize efforts across the U.S. to trace the "erased" cemeteries and promote projects like the Zion Project to un-erase them and to honor those buried in these cemeteries.
  • As the Zion Project work is approaching its end, Drew and I, USF, and the Black Cemetery Network are about to begin work on three (3) "erased" cemeteries in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida, and beyond in that county.
  • We are very proud to be part of these projects and to recognize and celebrate the lives of those early residents who built and shaped our communities.
• Registration for RootsTech 2024, the premier global family history conference, is now open. The event will be held from 29 February through 2 March 2024 in both in-person and virtual formats, from the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Learn more and register at https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/home.
• MyHeritage has announced the release of PhotoDater™, a groundbreaking, free new feature that estimates the year a photo was taken using AI technology.
• MyHeritage added 89 million historical records to its site in August 2023. George summarizes these collections.
• Drew recaps the highlights of the newest record releases at FamilySearch in August 2023.

Interview

Drew talks with Rick Voight, CEO of Vivid-Pix, and Sue Kaufman, manager of the Genealogy Collection at the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research in Houston, Texas. They discuss the initiative of the National Genealogical Society and Vivid-Pix and the cross-country tour that Rick is making to share the information.

Listener Email

• In a follow-up to our discussion in episode #418 about the U.S. Patent and Trademark Database (USPTO at https://www.uspto.gov/patents/search, Kim writes about a patent filed and approved by great-grandfather James D. Nairne (#1,088,443), and wants to know more, including whether it was used and/or whether it was transferred.
• Carol Ansel, Director of the Godfrey Memorial Library (https://www.godfrey.org/scholar/godfrey-home.html), wrote to expand on Drew’s description of their collection and services.
• Jean wrote about a recent search in the deed records in Suffolk County [New York] for an entry for her great-grandfa