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Genealogy HowTo - What's in a name? Part 2: Your Surname**    To the family historian, a surname is a precious gift handed down from generation to generation. It links us to our ancestors as well as to the generations that will come after us. It tells us who we are and where we have come from. Do you want to know more about your surname? Where did it originate and what does it mean? We'll be talking about the history and meaning of surnames in this article, as well as addressing some concerns about how to search for your ancestors when the surname spelling may have changed.

Ask Us - **Finding Our Ancestors By Deciphering Their Nicknames** By Cindy Carman   
To most of us who tirelessly search for our family history it's no surprise that nicknames were used by almost all of our ancestor's. By nickname I mean a name by which an individual is called on a day to day basis that is different than their first name given at birth. Identifying our ancestors in the many handwritten records available to us becomes much easier when we know the possible nicknames by which they may be called. I was fascinated to find that nicknames are a common tradition of almos t every culture and era.

Just for Fun - Click Here for Genealogy Humor***
   I Tried Using Invisible Ink But I Drew A Blank.

Reviews - Larisa Asaeli reviews "Social Networking for Genealogists" by Drew Smith.    This handy little guide is written for the genealogist who has minimal knowledge about social networking sites. Smith provides term definition with his step-by-step instructions on how to use various networks. Since it is often difficult to learn how to use web-based applications from a book, the screen shots Smith includes are very helpful. He also lists suggested steps at the end of each chapter to help readers practice the skills they will learn along the way.

Your Stories - THE SPANISH INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC OF 1918 WAS CAUSED BY VACCINATIONS    This article is excerpted from Swine Flu Expose a book written by Eleanora I. McBean, Ph.D., N.D.
McBean was an eyewitness observer during the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak.
Medical professionals are in agreement that vaccines are designed to cause a mild case of the diseases they are supposed to prevent. They also agree that there is no way whatsoever to predict whether the case will be mild or severe - even deadly. With this much uncertainty in dealing with the very lives of people, McBean states it is very unscientific and extremely dangerous to use such a questionable procedure as vaccination.

Upcoming Events - CLICK HERE FOR MORE Upcoming Genealogical Events-
  

• 9 August 2009, Ottawa, Canada: "Irish Talks," presented by the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa. Topics will include: "Tracing Your Irish Ancestry," "Chasing Shadows: Irish Genealogy Online," and "Whatever you're having yourself: Irish Census Substitutes." For more information, visit http://www.bifhsgo.ca/.
• 15 August 2009, Sunset Hills, MO: The St. Louis Genealogical Society will present a special summer seminar, "Google Your Family Tree." Daniel Lynch will be the featured speaker and will talk on such topics as "Basic facts about using search engines," "Special symbols for effective filtering," "Search strategies," "Conducting queries for names and places," and "Searching Google Books." For more information, visit http://www.stlgs.org/specialSeminar.htm.
• 17 August 2009, London, England: "Genealogy from your Armchair: What's Free Online," a tutorial with John Hanson will be presented by the Society of Genealogists. There will be a course fee of £10 for non-members and £8 for members. For more information, visit http://www.sog.org.uk/events/pdf/090817_armchair_leaflet.pdf.
• 22 August 2009, Novi, MI: "Ancestry Day Seminar," presented by the Farmington Genealogical Society, Fox Run Genealogical Society, Redford Historical & Genealogical Society, and Northville Genealogical Society. Lisa Arnold will speak on "Getting the Most out of your Ancestry Subscription," "Building a Tree on Ancestry," and "Ancestry World Archives Project." Joel Stone will speak on "A Practical Fleet: Great Lakes Ships from 1902 to 1954." For more information, visit http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mifarmgs/.