Thursday, August 27, 2020

Free Webinar on Virginia Research

Going to conferences to hear from other genealogists is a real privilege. I learn so much from their experience and their passion. It's also a joy for me to share my passion by getting to speak to groups about genealogy and family history! But what is a genealogist to do with the limitations due to COVID-19?  Well, thanks to the determination and ingenuity of genealogists everywhere, along with the help of some technology, there are a lot of great new opportunities to connect virtually.

Friday, August 28, at 8 pm EST I'll be giving a *FREE* webinar hosted by our friends at VIVID-PIX. It'll be a fun night getting to talk about my home state, the Commonwealth of Virginia! Just click here to register for the webinar.

My topic

Meet Virginia: Best Kept Secrets for Researching the Old Dominion

Do y'all have roots in Virginia? In this webinar, we'll get to know the beautiful Old Dominion and discover the best kept secrets of Virginia research. Explore Virginia's idiosyncrasies, identify available records (in person and online), and see examples of genetic genealogy at work for Virginian descendants.

About VIVID-PIX

Who - or what - you might be asking, is VIVID-PIX? The VIVID-PIX software restores old photos, slides, and documents with beautiful results. I'll be sharing some photos they've restored of mine in my presentation, but here's one of my favorites.

It's a photo from about 1976 of my Vaughan family reuniting at the old family home in Darvills, Dinwiddie County, Virginia. It was one of the few times my grandmother returned to her childhood home as an adult. And there she is, third row from the top all the way to the left. But the photo has a yellow glow about it.


Here's the same photo with the help of VIVID-PIX.


Whoa, right?! The sudden realization dawns that not everyone was wearing yellow! Now, if you're ready for some more ah-ha moments relating to Virginia research, you know where to go!

*****

I really hope y'all will join me tomorrow, Friday August 28th, at 8pm EST! If you can't make it at that time but you're still interested in watching, fret not, y'all! We're recording the talk and it's available for a 30 day rental for only $1.99. To register, just click here!

Do you want to learn more about Virginia and the best kept secrets for Virginia research? I hope you'll join me!

Your ancestors deserve the best researcher, the most passionate story-teller, and the dignity of being remembered. So let's encounter your ancestors through family history and remember the past made present today!

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Exciting New Photo Tools at MyHeritage

At this point in 2020, we all need a pick-me-up. Am I right or am I right?

Well, our friends over at MyHeritage have delivered just we the doctor ordered. Something that we can do from the comfort of our homes and that will keep us from being bored. Oh, and it involves family history, so it's got to be good! 

MyHeritage has two new photo tools that help us look at old family photos like we're seeing them for the first time. And until September 10th, you can restore and colorize as many photos as you'd like - for FREE - even without being a MyHeritage subscriber! If you aren't already clicking away at the MyHeritage page, and maybe you need to be sold a bit more, read on as I share some of the success I've had using their tools.

MyHeritage Photo Enhancer

The MyHeritage Photo Enhancer is amazing. It takes those blurred faces in old photos and crisps them up as if they were taken yesterday. I don't know how they do it - honestly it looks like magic - but who am I to complain? Look at what it did!

First, this is a photo of my beautiful great-grandmother Mimi - Gertlie Edgerton Brooks. I wrote about her here: Mimi & Pop. Here are the results after putting two of these photos through the Photo Enhancer.

I had noticed before how much my mom looks like Mimi, but WOW! This photo being crystal clear just made these details pop!

Here's a detail of my Pop's face from the same blog post I shared above. 


Now check out what MyHeritage Photo Enhancer did to bring Pop to life!


I love this tool, y'all!

MyHeritage In Color

The next tool that's new to MyHeritage and that's free and unlimited to all until September 10th is MyHeritage In Color. After you've enhanced your photos, you can add color in a matter of seconds. Or if you already have crystal clear photos, but want to see them come to life, go straight to this tool!

Here's an enhanced and colorized photo of my great-grandparents at Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg, Virginia (see the original at Mimi & Pop).


I just love how they pop out of the photo now. The trees and grass are green around them but they're still stealing the show. Beautiful!

And then check out this photo of another of my great-grandmothers, Mary Susan Wooldridge Williams, with her father, her siblings and their families. The photo dates from about 1912 in Powhatan County, Virginia, and I wrote about it here: A Wooldridge Family Photo


This is after enhancing the photo and colorizing it. Some of the figures just pop off the page, don't they!? Sadly, my great-grandmother's face is simply too distorted in the image to be restored. But her brother (all the way to the right) is amazingly clear now.

*****

Not only are these two MyHeritage tools super easy to use, but they're FUN to use. And for the next two weeks, until September 10, they're free and unlimited for everyone. So what are y'all waiting for? Go have some fun and share your results too!

Have you used MyHeritage for your family history before? While you're checking out these tools, check out the rest of what they can offer you and your genealogy needs!

My ancestors - and your ancestors - deserve the best researcher, the most passionate story-teller, and the dignity of being remembered. So let's keep encountering our ancestors through family history and remembering the past made present today!

Let's Connect at NGS 2022!

The National Genealogical Society Family History Conference is back in person this year! And y'all I am so ready to meet face-to-face!...