Be Sure to Visit my new 1900 Galveston Storm Website at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootseb.com/~barnette 

ISFHWE SPONSORS WRITING CONTEST

 ISFHWE, the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors is sponsoring their 2001 Excellence in Writing Contest. The annual contest features cash prizes and coveted awards for winning contestants.

 The contest is open to print and internet authors and editors in the following categories: 1) regularly published columns 2) feature articles 3) a genealogical research story 4) family history or one surname newsletters 5) want-to-be columnists.

 The genealogical research story category is new this year. The first place winner will win $500 and be eligible to have their article published in Ancestry Magazine. Genealogical research story articles may be about 1) encounters with a family skeleton or black sheep 2) the search for a particular ancestor or 3) sorting out entangled roots or branches of a family.

 The 21 February dead is fast approaching. For complete rules and entering information, visit the ISFHWE website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~cgc .

HAGS MEETS

 The first meeting of the Humble Area Genealogical Society will be held this Monday, January 8 at 7 P.M. in Kingwood at the Kingwood College Teaching Theater. Mic Barnette will speak on How Early Texas Land Was Granted. The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Marilyn Evans at 281-358-6815.

NGS REGIONAL CONFERENCE

 The Texas State Genealogical Society will host the National Genealogical Society Regional Conference in Austin on Saturday February 10 from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M.  NGS President Curt Witcher and Sheila Benedict will be the featured speakers.

  The conference will be held at the Hilton Austin North and Towers, 6000 Middle Fiskville Road in Austin. For more information visit the NGS website at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/ , e-mail conference@ngsgenealogy.org or call 1-800-473-0060

SURF THE INTERNET

 Houston Community College at 1681 Cartwright in Missouri City will feature Mic Barnette with a Surfing The Internet- For Genealogy class. The class will consist of a live tour of some of the best genealogical research websites on the Internet. The one time class will be held on Wednesday January 17 from 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. For more information and to enroll contact HCC at 281-835-5539.

GENEALOGICAL PUBLISHING CLASS

 Mic Barnette, owner of Barnette's Family Tree Book Company and writer of this column will present a new class, How To Write and Publish A Genealogical Book. The course is geared toward those who wish to write a genealogical article or book and have it published online, self-published or published through a commercial publisher.

 The class will discuss privacy issues, software, organizing, writing, numbering, documenting, layout, pricing, prepublication, marketing, advertising and a host of pertinent issues.

 For more information and to register, contact Leisure Learning at 713-529-4414

NEW ON THE BOOKSHELF

 Readers with ancestors who served in the Virginia military during the American Revolution will be interested in a new series of CD-ROMS published by Heritage Books, 1540  Pointer Ridge Place, Bowie MD 20716. The series is a digitally reproduced set of electronic images consisting of thousands of documents from National Archives Microfilm Publication M910.

 Originally published on  18 rolls of microfilm Virginia Half Pay and Other Related Revolutionary War Pension Application Files  is now available on 3 CD-ROMS. The three CD-ROMS are : Virginia Soldiers A-M (Surnames Adams through Muzzy); Virginia Soldiers N-Z (Surnames Nash through Yeates); Virginia Sailors A-Z (Surnames Applewaithe through Wilson).  Each CD-ROM is priced at $40 or get the complete set for $90. Postage is additional.

 There are 279 recipient case files for the half-pay-for-life pensions. They were officers in the army and navy and included doctors, surgeons, surgeon mates, chaplains and others. Often the pensions were applied for after the death of the veteran by heirs of the veteran. Many of the case files contain the will of the veteran and other documents that date into the 1870s, long after the death of the veteran.

 Each CD-ROM includes the Adobe Acrobat Reader and is viewable on either a Windows or Macintosh operating system.