Ancestry.com is, quite possibly, the most popular genealogy website out there. People who have no interest in genealogy can recognize the name Ancestry.com. There has been some talk about the potential of Ancestry.com going up for sale. I don’t have an update about that, however, I do have information about some of what is new at Ancestry.com lately.
Right now, Ancestry.com is offering free access to their War of 1812 collection. This free access is going to end on June 30, 2012. So, if you haven’t gotten around to check it out yet, keep in mind that your days of free access are numbered.
Ancestry.com’s War of 1812 Collection is being offered over at Fold3. Their “War of 1812 Pension Files” are always free. Other collections include the “War of 1812 Prize Cases, Southern District Court, NY”, the “Letters Received By the Adjutant General” and the “War of 1812 Service Records” are only offered for free until June 30, 2012.
The Ancestry.com blog has an interesting post about Ray Bradbury. It is a remembrance post. There is a small piece of the Los Angeles High School yearbook from when Ray Bradbury was a student. It includes a very interesting write-up that appears next to his name in the yearbook.
Ancestry.com recently started offering live streaming videos through Livestream. There are three that were recorded in June that you can watch right now. The titles are: “What’s New at Ancestry.com, June Edition”, (which aired on June 5, 2012), “Creating Timelines to Better Understand Records and Families”, (which aired on June 7, 2012), and “What If There Isn’t an Index, How Do I Find Who I’m Looking For?” (which aired on June 14, 2012).
There are a few more of these videos coming up soon, that you will have the opportunity to catch live. On June 19, 2012, you can check out “Using Ancestry.com Member Profiles”. On June 21, 2012, there will be one called “MyCanvas and Other Ideas for Publishing Your Family History”. Check back for future live streaming videos from Ancestry.com.
There are a few, brand new, record collections that have been released. “New Orleans, Passenger Lists, 1820 – 1945” was updated on June 11, 2012. “Dorset, England, Land Tax Returns, 1780 – 1832” was released on June 13, 2012. “U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962” was released on June 14, 2012.
Image by Kumaravel Thangaraj on Flickr