Nu? What's New? Vol. 21 No. 37

Underlined words are links to sites with additional information.

23andMe COVID-19 Study Findings Published

23andMe scientists have published findings from the first four months of their COVID-19 study using data from more than a million research participants. They found both genetic and non-genetic associations for susceptibility and severity to COVID-19.

Among its findings were:
• Data strengthening an association between severe respiratory complications and a specific variant in the gene cluster in chromosome 3.
• Strong evidence for the role of the ABO blood group for both the severity and susceptibility to COVID-19. Specifically, that blood type O might be protective against the virus.
• Black and Latino populations have been hit much harder than white communities. This is independent of socio-economic status. For example, for Black research participants, the risk of hospitalization was disproportionately high and remained that way when adjusted for socioeconomic factors as well as age, sex, and for several underlying health conditions like type 2 diabetes or hypertension
• Other risk factors for hospitalization included that men required hospitalization more often than women. The same for those who were older and poorer.

The announcement can be found at https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/23andme- covid-study-published/.

Ancestry Offering Schools Free Membership

Motivated by the impact the pandemic is having on education, Ancestry is providing K–12 teachers across America a free 6-month World Explorer subscription. The subscription gives them access to billions of historical records “to help bring curriculum to life and make connections to historical places and events throughout time.” The offer is to the first 10,000 teachers that apply ends September 30.

Ancestry is also offering remote access to its Library Edition to patrons of the more than 2,100 libraries that subscribe to the Library Edition. Rather than having to go to the library to access Ancestry, patrons will be able to search the Ancestry collection from home.

Information about these offers can be found at https://tinyurl.com/AncestryLibrariesOffer.

Listing/Description of All Extant Synagogue Buildings in Hungary

Jewish Heritage Europe (JHE) reports that the Center for Jewish Art of Hebrew University in Jerusalem has published a listing and brief description of all known extant synagogue buildings in Hungary. It lists 162 synagogues—about a quarter of the total number of synagogues that existed before World War II.

The JHE report notes that many extant synagogues were recently converted into cultural centers, libraries, concert halls or exhibition galleries. Such usage allows the preservation of the structure in its original form, both exterior and interior, and makes it viable for the local residents. Thus, the memory of the extinct Jewish communities is preserved in a sustainable way.

The 84-page report can be downloaded at https://tinyurl.com/HUHungarySynagogues. The JHE report is at https://tinyurl.com/JHEHungarySynagogues.

Fold3 Adds New Collection: Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1915–1919

Fold3, the subsidiary of Ancesytry.com that focuses on military records, has added a new collection: Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1915–1919.

The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the force raised by Canada for service overseas during WWI. Some 620,000 Canadians who enlisted between 1914–1918 served in the CEF. The collection contains nominal rolls, rosters, war diaries, yearbooks, and unit histories for the CEF. There were more than 233,000 Canadian casualties during WWI, resulting in nearly 61,000 deaths.

The announcement can be found at https://tinyurl.com/Fold3CEF.

Virtual Nordic Genealogy Conference September 26–27

The National Nordic Museum, located in Seattle, Washington, will hold a Virtual Nordic Genealogy Conference from September 26–27. The conference will be a mixture of live and on-demand keynote lectures and workshops. Professional genealogists and subject matter experts from North America and the Nordic countries will share insights about family history research. The conference is designed for every level of familiarity with genealogical research, from beginners and enthusiasts to experts.

Additional information can be found at https://www.nordicmuseum.org/genealogyconference.

JewishGen Education Offers Independent Study Program

JewishGen Education is once again offering its Independent Study program from October 3–24. Create your own project. Looking for records? Hit a brick wall? Want to write a newsletter? Hire a researcher? An instructor will work with you to narrow the scope of your project so that you can make progress in three weeks.

This is mentored Do-it-Yourself, computer-based, online instruction. Individual readings will be posted according to your research needs.
Students must feel comfortable using a computer and searching databases online.

Tuition is $150. Enrollment is limited to 10 students. This class has students worldwide, thus there are no set times; the Forum is open 24/7.

For more information, go to https://tinyurl.com/JGISProgram. Register for the course at https://www.jewishgen.org/education/edu-courses.asp.

10 Things You Should Never Do with an Old Photo + What to Do Instead

Yet another article has been written about preserving photographs. Subtitles of the article are:
• Decline Your Invitation to the Cropping Party
• Don’t Give Photos Their Day in the Sun
• Know When to Hold ‘em, and When NOT to Fold ‘em
• To Label, or Not to Label
• Don’t Make a Photo Even More UnaPEELing
• What’s Mine Is Yours … Except for My Family Photos
• It’s Getting Hot in Here, So Move Those Old Photos
• Don’t Eat My Great-Aunt!
• Don’t Get Too Attached
• Keep Your Hands to Yourself

The article can be read at https://tinyurl.com/FHDPhotos.

Library and Archives Canada Slowly Reopening

As part of its gradual, staged approach to reopening its public service points across Canada, Library and Archives Canada has reopened its research room located in Vancouver. The public service point located on the 7th floor of the Vancouver Public Library, 350 West Georgia Street, remains closed to the public until further notice, as do their facilities located in Ottawa, Halifax and Winnipeg. All four facilities are providing online orders for copying.

LAC has a special webpage devoted to reopening all facilities. It is located at https://tinyurl.com/LACReopening.

FamilySearch Adds 3M Records This Week

A list of recent additions to FamilySearch, 3M index records, can be found at https://tinyurl.com/FamilySearch090720. This site provides direct links to the individual collections. They include records from Brazil. Canada, Dominican Republic, England, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, Micronesia, Peru, Puerto Rico, S. Africa, Spain and the United States.

Note that at the website, announced collections may not be complete for the dates specified and will be added at some later date. Also note that counts shown in the announcement are the number added, not the total number available in the collection, which can be greater.

New Collections at Ancestry.com Include U.S. Naturalization Records

Ancestry has added/updated the following record groups at their site. The list with links to individual collections can be found at https://www.ancestry.com/cs/recent-collections. Announced collections may not be complete for the dates specified and will be added at some later date. There is also no indication of how many records were added to the updated collections.

New Collections
West Virginia, Federal Naturalization Records, 1844–1943
Delaware, Federal Naturalization Records, 1802–1943

Updated Collections
Arizona, Wills and Probate Records, 1866–1974
Arkansas, Sevier County, Death Records, 1914–1923
Illinois, Federal Naturalization Records, 1840–1991
Maryland, Federal Naturalization Records, 1795–1931
Pennsylvania, Federal Naturalization Records, 1795–1931
Utah, Federal Naturalization Records, 1906–1930
Vermont, State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1790–1954
Virginia, Federal Naturalization Records, 1901–1938

The Unbroken Chain - Third Edition (First five volumes)

Author Neil Rosenstein has devoted the past 27 years to updating and improving his landmark work The Unbroken Chain and now is in the process of publishing its Third Edition. The new edition is a major improvement to the previous edition both in number of persons and quality of the work.

The volumes identify more than 42,000 people with a full name index. There are 300 illustrations, thousands of footnotes and up to 22 generations.

Addtional informaton, including the a complete list of names can be found at http://www.avotaynu.com/books/UnbrokenChain-1.html. Check to see if your family is included.