The Genealogy Tech Podcast

In Episode 008 of the Genealogy Tech Podcast I mentioned a Web site called Google Alert (www.googlealert.com). This Web site, which is produced by Indigo Stream Technologies, will allow you to create three free custom Google searches that are run daily, with the results e-mailed directly to you.

I’d like to thank GTP listener Lisa C. for pointing out that I failed to mention Google’s own built-in Alert feature that will allow you to create 1000 Google Alerts as you like. (You are limited to creating 10 Alerts at a time)

To get to the Alerts page from GMail, click the “all my services” link at the top of the window, then select Alerts from the list. Once here you can again set up your custom searches, the results of which will be sent to your GMail account. You can also get to them by going to http://www.google.com/alerts

You will need a Google account to manage your Alerts, if you don’t already have one you can sign up for one totally free at
https://www.google.com/accounts/ManageAccount

The searches include the Web, news, blogs and Google Groups; you can narrow your search to one of these options or select “Composite” from the drop-down list and the search will run in all places. You can have the results e-mailed (in HTML or Text format) as they happen, once daily or once a week.

Two men, Orval Dulaney and Harvey Dakin, used their genealogical research skills to claim Civil War-era medals on behalf of their relatives.

According to the article on the CoschtonTribune.com Web site,

“…[the] medals were among were among the 26,099 minted by authority of the state for Union veterans of West Virginia military units. Authorized by the West Virginia legislature by Joint Resolution No. 11 in 1866, many of the medals minted for West Virginia troops failed to be claimed because of the state’s inability to establish contact with the veterans, many of whom originated from adjacent states or left the region following the war.”

The article, located here, goes on to say that the medals were part of an inventory of nearly 4,000 medals that are stored in Department of Culture and History’s Archives and History Library in Charleston, W.Va.