We hope you are enjoying Drew's "31 Days of Getting Organized" series at The Genealogy Guys Blog. Day 0 begins at http://blog.genealogyguys.com/2019/12/day-0-introducing-31-days-of-getting.html, and you can follow each day. (Use the Tag labeled Organization for quick access to all of these entries.)

News You Can Use and Share

• MyHeritage added millions of new records in November 2019 and in the first half of December.
• MyHeritage added new records for Germany in late December: the Hesse Birth Index (1874-1911) and the Hesse Marriage Index (1849-1931).
• The Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Park Service announced the launch of the U.S. Mexican War Soldier & Sailor Database, coming on 27 January 2020. (See press release at our blog at http://blog.genealogyguys.com/search/label/Mexican%20War.
• Fold3 has recently added the "UK Militia Attestation Papers, 1806-1915," containing great personal information for each individual.
• The Royal Air Force Museum has launched a new website containing casualty forms of the officers of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force. The site is located at https://www.casualtyforms.org.
• Donna Moughty announced her two annual research trips to Ireland: the Belfast trip October 10-17, 2020, and the Dublin trip October 17-24, 2020. Space is limited. Details are available at https://www.irishfamilyroots.com/2020-research-trips.
• Findmypast has released updates to the 1939 Register, British Armed Forces' World War I Medical Records, and the U.S. National Veterans Cemetery Index. They also have released records for Kent Baptisms, Marriages and Banns, and Burials.
• FamilySearch has released GEDCOM Version 5.5.1, the first update in ten years.
• FamilySearch's 2019 highlights include 1.24 billion people in the Family Tree, 6.3 billion searchable records and images online, 8.75 million new photos and stories added, and 15.5 million volunteer hours contributed.
• FamilySearch has announced new things coming in 2020: sitewide support for new languages; improvements to the user experience with the Family Tree; updates to Memories to allow topic tagging; improvements in social interactions and social media; and a new tool, Explore Images, allowing users to view images within days of their capture.
• Drew recaps new record additions, updates, and indexes at FamilySearch.

DNA Segment with Blaine T. Bettinger

Blaine and Drew discuss chromosome mapping at the DNA Painter site.

Cyndi Says

Cyndi Ingle discusses thinking of your end goal.

Our Listeners Talk to Us

• Robin wrote about loose papers and about oversized documents and photographs and how she approached copying them. Now, the question is where to send them for permanent storage.
• Mark captured George's interest with an article from the Biblical Archaeology Review (January-February 2020 issue) titled "Rescuing and Recovering Vesuvius's Survivors." The report addresses the people who escaped the volcano's eruption on 24 August 79 C.E. [A.D.], where they moved, the customs they took with them, and intermarriages. The author, Steven L. Tuck, performed extensive research, including identifying people and events using genealogical standards. Excellent article!

Don't forget! The Genealogy Guys and Vivid-Pix have issued a new call for nominations for the Unsung Heroes Awards. Submissions will be accepted until midnight EST on 1 February 2020. Awards will be announced at RootsTech 2020 in Salt Lake City. Full details and links to nomination forms can be found on our blog at http://blog.genealogyguys.com/2019/12/genealogy-guys-and-vivid-pix-issue-call.html. You can even nominate yourself!

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