Free Genealogy On-Line Newsletters

Introduction
Eastman's Newsletter
Treasure Maps
Rootsweb Review
Browser compatibility statement
Main links to other pages on this site

Introduction

A number of philanthropic individuals and organisations offer free genealogical newsletters by email to anyone who cares to subscribe. Subscribing, like subscribing to a mailing list, involves simply sending a message in prescribed form to a particular email address. Your subscription is normally acknowledged immediately by the computer hosting the newsletter, and from then on (until you choose to unsubscribe) you will automatically receive copies of the newsletter by email as they are issued. Some such newsletters are listed below, with instructions for subscribing to them.

In one or two cases, voluntary donations are requested to help cover the cost of providing the service or for a more comprehensive version of the newsletter, but there is no compulsion to contribute.

Eastman's On-Line Genealogy Newsletter

The Eastman newsletter is compiled and issued weekly by Dick Eastman, genealogy author and Compuserve's resident genealogist. If you only subscribe to one genealogy newsletter, it should be this one. It regularly contains reviews of the latest genealogical software, announcements of meetings in various parts of the world, personal reports on major genealogy conferences, lists of personal web sites and other news of interest to genealogists. Everyone interested in genealogy and family history should receive this newsletter.

The newsletter is now available in two editions. The standard edition is available for free viewing at http://www.RootsForum.com. The Plus edition is issued approximately weekly (minimum of 12 issues per 3 months), about 24 hours earlier than the standard edition, contains additional material, no advertising, and is sent to subscribers by email. However, it is now necessary to pay a small subscription to receive this larger edition, either $3.00 for 3 months or $10.00 for 12 months, to be paid by credit card via a secure server. To subscribe, go to http://www.RootsForum.com/plus. Both the free and paid for forms can also be accessed on-line and can be received by RSS feed. There are also a variety of discussion forums (accessed through the web site, or using links in the newsletter) on topics raised in the newsletter.

Treasure Maps Newsletter

This monthly newsletter, like its associated web site (Treasure Maps - The How To Genealogy Site), is aimed at beginners and those with some experience but short of being an expert. It concentrates mainly on tutorials, telling the reader how to make best use of various genealogical resources. It is produced by Robert Ragan. Voluntary donations of any amount are invited to help defray costs. In return for donations of $20 (USA) or more a complete set of back numbers will be supplied - and it started in 1995.

To subscribe, send the message: Subscribe
To: robert@amberskyline.attbbs.net

Rootsweb Review

Rootsweb Review is sent automatically each week to users of Rootsweb's facilities, so you should get it if you subscribe to one or more of the mailing lists they host, for example. Alternatively you can subscribe by sending the message SUBSCRIBE to RootsWeb-Review-L-request@rootsweb.com.

It gives an account of the technical problems and developments at Rootsweb, anecdotes, information on newly introduced mailing lists and web sites hosted by Rootsweb (literally thousands of them) and includes correspondence on a variety of topics from readers.

Browser compatibility statement

I believe web pages should be accessible to all browsers, rather than surfers being browbeaten into switching to some particular browser to see a page. (How many people would be happy if popular TV programmes could only be watched with the latest model of one particular make of TV set?). I am currently going through this site trying to achieve this as far as possible, but I do not have any means of testing it with all the dozens of browsers out there. When I think I have managed it with a page I'll include this paragraph at the end and a suitable logo at the top. If you have trouble viewing any page on this site, especially a page including this paragraph, please let me know (see my contact page), and tell me what browser (name and version) and what operating system you are using, so I can try to do something about it. Thanks.

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