Friday, January 6, 2012

Friday's Finds and Fun: 6 January 2012

So, in the spirit of Amy Coffin’s (We Tree Genealogy Blog) “Abundant Genealogy” theme for 2012, here are some things, mostly genealogy-related, that I’m happy to have found this week:



The picture above was taken by me and altered using the iPad app called Snapseed. I found this app featured on the blog iPad Insight, which mentioned that it could be downloaded free for one day (it usually costs $4.99). (I now know why the phrase “free apps” makes some people’s hearts beat faster....) With Snapseed you can manipulate an image in various ways as well as apply various “effects” such as Drama, Vintage, and Grunge. I can’t remember, but I think I used one of the Drama settings on the picture above (you can see the unaltered image in “Greenville 1 - Swamp Rabbit Trail”).

What does this have to do with genealogy? Well, um, it’s a neat tool to use in digital scrapbooking!

BTW, iPad Insight is a useful blog for learning how to get the most out of your iPad. I learned about this blog on Midge Frazel’s technology blog, Beyond the Horizon (“Got a New iPad?”).

The next recommendation is for Cemetery Census, a website which has an impressive compilation of cemetery surveys for the counties of North Carolina and Virginia. Thanks to Ginger Smith of Genealogy by Ginger's Blog for highlighting this site in a comment on the post “When Even Vital Records Can’t Be Trusted” on Missy Corley’s Bayside Blog. Findagrave and Interment.net are great sites, but they don’t have everything, and for those who research in North Carolina and Virginia, this is an excellent addition.

And finally, this month’s Fairfax Genealogical Society Newsletter mentions that Linda MacLachlan (the dynamic leader of the Society’s New England SIG) has a new publication: New Copies of Old Records From New Hebron, Connecticut: 1708-1875 (Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, 2011). According to the Newsletter, “Linda discovered original Connecticut township records that are not available in the Barbour Collection or on LDS microfilms. Working with town clerks, she found previously unpublished birth and marriage records.”

Hope these are helpful!

13 comments:

  1. Love the photo! My cousin told me about Snapseed at Christmas. I got it - just haven't had time to experiment yet. Your gorgeous example shows me I need to spend some time with the app this weekend.

    It was a struggle (LOL) to get past the photo, but once I did I found even more great information. Thanks for a load of good tips.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! My daughter and I have been playing around with this app a bit - some things work better than others. But now I want to take some of old photos and see what I can do with them.

      Delete
  2. That is a neat app. I will forward the info to my daughter, she has an iPad. Love the picture, looks ready for Halloween.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spooky, isn't it? It was sup rising to see how using different effects and textures changed the mood of various photos.

      Delete
  3. The difference in the two pictures is amazing! Thanks for the info on Snapseed as well as the sites with iPad tips. I am always looking for new apps and help using my iPad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please post about any good new apps you find - I am on the lookout for useful and enjoyable apps!

      Delete
  4. Awesome app...will ave to check it out. thanks

    ReplyDelete
  5. One of these days, an iPad will come into my life...and thanks to you, I know which apps to download first! Thanks and happy 2012.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are going to love that iPad! I'm definitely going to keep any eye out for more photo apps.

      Delete
  6. Marian - I have been waiting for an iPad for almost two years - you will get your chance and you will love it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Greta, sorry I am late showing my appreciation, but thanks for the shoutout. Missy had a good posts that illicited a lot of great comments. Thanks for highlighting it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ginger - No prob; I often get behind in my reading. Cemetery Census is definitely a find.

      Delete