The news includes the following items:

• Ancestry.com has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Archives.com.
• FamilySearch.org uploaded 14 million new records for 19 countries, and the 1940 U.S. federal census indexing project is in full swing.
• The Southern Genealogist’s Exchange Society in Jacksonville, Florida, is hosting a virtual tea party on Mother’s Day (U.S.) on 13 May 2012 as a fundraiser and as a way to honor female ancestors.
• Drew reviews the book Family Matters by Michael Sharpe.

Listener email includes:

• Jason asks about a program that keeps track of digital source materials and about cloud computing.
• Doug reports that volunteers for the FamilySearch U.S. federal census indexing project can only specify the state for which they would like to index.
• Paul provided us with a fascinating story about two children who survived the Titanic sinking from a newspaper clipping in his great-grandmother’s scrapbook. He provides a link at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Marcel_Navratil for more information. He also shared information about dogs on the Titanic and offers another link at http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/blogs/remembering-the-dogs-of-the-titanic to learn more - including a story of a mother cat and kittens.
• Eric wrote to discuss copyright and fair use, and discusses a research problem involving a colleague.
• Beth Cook of Best Public Relations wrote to share information that Dracula was Irish and not Transylvanian.
• Janet asks for advice about whether DNA testing might help her in her quest for her husband’s ancestor.
• Moshe sent document images and asks for suggestions about his search for a Jewish man, Irving Markowsky.

The news includes:

• FamilySearch continues to add millions of new records online each month. They also state the 10 new digital records are created every second.
• MyHeritage has announced:
  • Introduction of DNA testing
  • Release of cutting-edge personalized family calendars
  • Release of a new app for the iPhone, iPad, and Android
• The Guild of One-Name Studies announced the results of the Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS) 2011 Awards.
• Calico Pie has announced the release of version 5 of Family Historian, its genealogy software program.
• The 1940 U.S. federal census was released by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on 2 April 2012.
• FamilySearch is indexing the 1940 U.S. federal census records.
• Ancestry.com has made its collection of 1940s-era materials free through 10 April 2012. They are indexing the 1940 U.S. federal census records.
• Findmypast.com is also participating in indexing the 1940 U.S. federal census records. Furthermore, the company has announced that it will search for your ancestors for you as soon as the records are indexed. They will then send you an email when they have located the census record for you.
• The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project has issued a call for more volunteers to help create a free, searchable index to the 1940 U.S. federal census records. It is a joint venture between Archives.com, FamilySearch.org, and findmypast.com

Listener email includes:

• Dennis asks about some of the questions on the 1940 U.S. federal census. George also advises Dennis that the Farm Schedules and Housing Schedules were destroyed, and that 1940 was the last year in which an annual enumeration by Bureau of Land Management Indian Agents of Native Americans on reservations was performed.
• Phil lives and works in Spain, and he is seeking suggestions on how to learn more and access materials that were donated to Kent State University in Ohio in about 1996.
• Laura in Ireland shares a way that she has gotten her eight-year-old daughter interested in looking at the Irish censuses of 1901 and 1911.
• Ben asked about the term “New York-ODM” which he has encountered in looking for records in the FamilySearch.org catalog.
• Emily responds to Avi's question in the 31 January episode, and suggests contacting the cemetery in the event that it still has the transit permit for the body. It will usually indicate the origin of the shipment of the body, and sometimes contains the deceased’s address, age, and cause of death.
• Caroleen shared her genealogy research blog with The Guys, at http://grampsandmamawsgirls.blogspot.com.
• Richard submitted a follow up on his Robert George Jones, along with an impressive profile of his extensive research.

The Guys talked briefly about their own research into the 1940 U.S. federal census records.