About Leland Meitzler

Leland K. Meitzler founded Heritage Quest in 1985, and has worked as Managing Editor of both Heritage Quest Magazine and The Genealogical Helper. He currently operates Family Roots Publishing Company (www.FamilyRootsPublishing.com), writes daily at GenealogyBlog.com, writes the weekly Genealogy Newsline, conducts the annual Salt Lake Christmas Tour to the Family History Library, and speaks nationally, having given over 2000 lectures since 1983.

It’s Time to Make Reasonable Access to the Burial Place of Nearly 1 Million New Yorkers

The following excerpt is from a fascinating opinion article posted March 18, 2014 on the New York Times website. The author’s opinion is that Hart Island should be transferred from the Department of Corrections to the Department of Parks and Continue reading It’s Time to Make Reasonable Access to the Burial Place of Nearly 1 Million New Yorkers

Ancestry.com Adds 3 Million Irish Records

The following news release is from Marketwired: PROVO, UT–(Marketwired – Mar 13, 2014) – Ancestry.com announced today the addition of over three million historical records that will help people of Irish descent explore their connections to the Emerald Isle. These Continue reading Ancestry.com Adds 3 Million Irish Records

Hundreds of Headstones Charred by Fire at Chattanooga National Cemetery

The following teaser is from an article in the March 11, 2014 edition of timesfreepress.com: For the second time in less than two months a Sunday afternoon grass fire has scorched tombstones at Chattanooga National Cemetery, and state and national Continue reading Hundreds of Headstones Charred by Fire at Chattanooga National Cemetery

Museum of the Confederacy in Appomattox Opens Veteran’s Exhibit

The following excerpt is from an excellent article by Katrina Koerting, published in the March 7, 2014 edition of newsadvance.com. Many people can recite facts about battles or describe the cultural environment during the Civil War, but not as much Continue reading Museum of the Confederacy in Appomattox Opens Veteran’s Exhibit

Ex-British PM Clement Attlee’s Roots Traced to Shimla in Northern India

The following teaser is from an article published March 9, 2014 at the gulfnews.com website. Shimla [Himachal Pradesh, India]: Clement Attlee’s grandson John was born in Shimla nearly nine decades ago. His great-granddaughter has just fished out her father’s birth Continue reading Ex-British PM Clement Attlee’s Roots Traced to Shimla in Northern India

Archivist of the USA David S. Ferriero Announces Closure/Consolidations of Three National Archives Facilities

David S. Ferriero today announced the closure or consolidation of three of the National Archives Facilities. Those facilities are in Anchorage, Alaska; Philadelphia, PA; and Fort Worth, Texas. The facilities in Alaska and Pennsylvania will close, while two facilities in Continue reading Archivist of the USA David S. Ferriero Announces Closure/Consolidations of Three National Archives Facilities

Mocavo Adds 450 New Records Indexes Which Include 25M Records from the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand

On March 7, I got a note from Cliff Shaw at Mocavo stating that “Today alone, we are adding more than 450 new record indexes in addition to the 1,000 databases that we usually launch every day. These indexes include Continue reading Mocavo Adds 450 New Records Indexes Which Include 25M Records from the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand

Historic Ottoman Documents to Be Restored by Turkish Agency

On the 7th of February, 2014, protestors set fire to the presidency office in the Bosnian capital city of Sarejevo. Many historic documents stolen, while others were damaged by the fire. Soon after the fire, Turkey’s Cooperation and Coordination Agency Continue reading Historic Ottoman Documents to Be Restored by Turkish Agency

MyHeritage Team Captures over 50,000 Gravestone Images in 3 Hours in Isreal’s Segula Cemetery

I got a note from Daniel Horowitz at MyHeritage.com this morning telling me that the MyHeritage Israel team just kick-started their global initiative that we recently announced together with BillionGraves, the project in which they wish to digitally preserve the Continue reading MyHeritage Team Captures over 50,000 Gravestone Images in 3 Hours in Isreal’s Segula Cemetery

SCGS Genealogy Jamboree: Student Genealogy Grant Announced

The following excerpt is from the SCGS Jamboree blog: The Southern California Genealogical Society and the Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant Committee are pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2014 Student Genealogy award. Continue reading SCGS Genealogy Jamboree: Student Genealogy Grant Announced