One of the newsletters and blogs I subscribe to is LostCousins.com which is a UK based newsletter.  In the current issue there is an article on US World War l Burial certificates for American service personnel.

https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/midoct20news.htm#WW1burial.

One of the Lost Cousins members took part in a project to transcribe World War l burial certificates for American service personnel. There are over 78,000 records in the database which can be searched for free at:

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/welldone/american-wwi-burial-cards This is available in English and French.

Each card contains the name of the individual who died, the unit they were assigned to, the nature of their death and the burial location(s) of the soldier, up to an including their final resting place.

An example of what a card looks like and the type of information displayed may be seen at:

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/welldone/american-wwi-burial-cards/about/research

The index created will be made available to the public for free on https://www.fold3.com/

The digital archive is hosted by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6943087 Record Group 92: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774 – 1985  Series: Card Register of Burials of Deceased American Soldiers, 1917 - 1922

Thank you to Peter Calver and LostCousins.com for informing us about this collection.

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

On October 5, 2020, the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) revised Genealogy Standard 57 and the Genealogist’s Code of Ethics to allow private sharing of DNA match details. The changes also eliminate the need for test takers to provide written consent for use of their DNA data, although they must be informed about the pros and cons.

The changes became effective immediately and will be incorporated into a future update of Genealogy Standards 2^nd edition. The changes respond to concerns about the use of genetic evidence in initial and renewal applications for credentialing.

Additional changes include approved answers to a series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Standard 57, two other DNA-related standards and other issues involving the use of DNA test results in genealogical work.

 See: https://bcgcertification.org/learning/dna-resources/dna-frequently-asked-questions-faq/

Revised Standard 57 now reads:

Standard 57 (Revised). Respect for privacy rights. When publishing DNA test results, genealogists respect the privacy of living people. Genealogists refrain from publishing information derived from DNA test results that may cause harm. Genealogists publish personally identifying information about living test takers only with their informed consent. Assembled research results acknowledge living test-takers’ consents for publishing their data shown therein. [See the Genealogy Standards glossary for definition of DNA test results.]

To access the revised Genealogist’s Code of Ethics go to:

https://bcgcertification.org/ethics-standards/code

Thank you to Pat Richley Erickson, also known as DearMyrtle, for informing about the changes.  Her blog post may be accessed at: https://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2020/10/bcg-revises-genealogy-standard-57-to.html

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

The Photographic Image Between Past and Future brings to the public knowledge about the photographic archives in Romania. This was assembled by Mihai Oroveanu, art historian former director of the National Museum of Contemporary art of Romania.

The tens of thousands of photographs capture historical moments such as mass demonstrations in the 30s, Stalinist propaganda of the 1940s and 50s, and the destruction caused by the major 1977 earthquake in Bucharest.

Led by Salonul de proiecte, the project will continue until the end of next year with three exhibitions in addition to the digital archive. The first of these shows opened in Bucharest last week, and focuses on the capital city’s architecture

and public space. The next two exhibits will center on gender, and anonymous and vernacular photography. Each show will also include artworks inspired by the photo archive made by contemporary artists.

To see the archive go to: https://photopastfuture.ro/  It is in both English and Romanian. Click on the three line bar on the upper right to go to about, news, images, events and contact information.

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee