The collection of Navy cruise books, available exclusively online at Ancestry.com, represents nearly 40 years of cruises following World War II (roughly 1950-1988) and chronicles an estimated 450,000 servicemen deployed at sea during that time. The Navy Department Library has on file an estimated 3,500 cruise books, which Ancestry.com plans to digitize and add to this collection over time.

Cruise books are modeled after yearbooks and typically include portraits of sailors, officers, and other personnel on board the ship. Other features of a cruise book may include candid photographs of crew members at work and play, details and history of the ship, and short biographies on officers. Below is a page taken from a Navy cruise book as an example.

A few famous personalities can also be found in the collection, including famed television host and comedian Johnny Carson. Carson is found in the 1946 edition of the U.S.S. Pennsylvania cruise book. Following World War II, Ens. Carson was assigned to the U.S.S. Pennsylvania, a battleship stationed in the Pacific. Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush is also found in the collection in the 1946 edition of the U.S.S. Jacinto cruise book.

Above: Ens. Carson (third row from the front, seventh from the left) on the U.S.S. Pennsylvania.

The Navy cruise books are part of the Ancestry.com U.S. Military Collection, which includes 100 million names and spans more than three centuries of American military service. Now through Nov. 13th, Ancestry.com has made its entire U.S. Military Collection searchable for free.

If you’re like me, you have family members who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. My own father spent 30 years in the Air Force. Why not take a moment this Veterans Day to see if you can learn a bit more about your military heritage and visit Ancestry.com’s U.S. Military Collection.

The records give those of us curious about Amelia’s past a first-hand view of the investigation into the claim that she and her navigator Fred Noonan were taken prisoner and executed in Saipan, which at the time was governed by Japan. Through the years, this adaptation of Earhart’s death has become one of the many theories surrounding the 39-year-old’s mystery-riddled disappearance.

In the above letter, Congressman J. Arthur Younger requests an investigation be made into evidence from U.S. Army Sergeant Thomas Devine, who said he had seen Amelia Earhart’s grave while he was stationed in Saipan.

In the telegram below, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Douglas MacArthur II explains that Japan has identified eight people who may have knowledge about Amelia Earhart’s disappearance in Saipan.

The Earhart file is part of the Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad collection on Ancestry.com.

Explore more details of the investigation here, and decide for yourself what really happened to Amelia Earhart. And if you’re still curious, go check out the movie “Amelia” coming out tonight. After learning more about the life of this amazing aviatrix, that’s exactly what I plan to do.

Provided by the National Archives at Atlanta, the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary Collection (1902-1921) spans two decades and consists of more than 14,000 inmate records documenting some of the worst criminals in U.S. history.

Some of the most common offenses perpetrated by Atlanta Federal Penitentiary inmates, and documented in this new collection, include illegal distilling, tax evasion, counterfeiting, mail fraud and mail theft.

The collection also contains records documenting some more curious kinds of crimes, including:

• Butter Imposter – Several individuals in the collection were sentenced to federal prison because they violated the “Oleo Margarine Act,” which made it a crime to produce margarine that looked too much like butter. Beginning in 1916, John R. Seymour spent 19 months behind bars for violating the Oleo Margarine Act.
• Bad Seed – One individual, David A. Keys, spent more than three years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary because of “scandalous conduct tending to the destruction of good morals.”
• Lead Foot – In 1915, Charles Arnett was sent to the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary to serve 19 months of jail time for “joy riding” in Washington, DC.
• Youngest Prisoner – In 1905, twelve-year-old Preston James was sentenced in Jacksonville, Fla., for embezzlement of U.S. mail, and went on to serve a 2-year prison term.

The first residents of the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary arrived in 1902. Because only three federal penitentiaries existed at that time, each served a large region of the country. Criminals tried in Eastern and Southeastern states including New York, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Florida were often sent to the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary to carry out their sentences.

Check out the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary Collection to see if there’s a notorious character in your family tree.

• Nearly half of all Americans were named after a family member.
• Of those, approximately one-third were named after their father, around 17 percent were named after their grandfather, and an estimated 15 percent were named for their grandmother.
• More men than women were named after a family member.
• In fact, 20 percent of men were given both their first and middle names after a family member.

We also looked to the family trees of some of America’s hottest celebrities to see the baby-naming patterns they had adopted.

Last Names as First Names

• Reese Witherspoon, born Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon, was given the name Reese after the last name of her mother’s ancestors. Her grandfather, Emmett Reese, and his parents BJ and Elizabeth Reese, are found in the 1920 Census.

 I am Henry the Eighth I Am

• Tom Cruise, or Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, comes from a long line of Thomases as witnessed in the 1930 Census, which shows his great-grandfather Thomas C. Mapother Sr. working as a lawyer in a circuit court.

 Mixing it Up: A French Spin on a Family Name

• Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt looked to their family trees for inspiration when naming the twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline. Marcheline is actually the French-sounding name of Angelina’s late mother.

For more interesting baby-naming stats and celebrity factoids, check out our news release.

The new television spots feature the following heartwarming stories:

A New Yorker Finds Answers about His Father – Alton Woodman (White Plains, N.Y.) never knew much about his dad, who passed away when Alton was just 14 years old. Turning to Ancestry.com, Alton found his father in a 1920 census record as a 14 year old himself, and discovered that he was attending an orphanage. To help connect the dots, Alton got in touch with a representative from the orphanage and received a package that offered a more complete picture of his father’s childhood.

Above: 1920 Census Record for Alton’s Father.

One Man Discovers His Great Grandfather was a War Hero – Cary Christopher (Pittsburgh and San Diego) always wondered about his German great grandfather, who disappeared after a short-lived marriage to Cary’s great grandmother ended in divorce. After 40 years of futile searching, Cary discovered his great grandfather in a World War I draft registration card on Ancestry.com. It turned out his great grandfather had immigrated to the United States before World War I, became a U.S. citizen and rose to the rank of Captain in the U.S. Merchant Marines, where he was killed by a torpedo fired by a German submarine during World War II.

South Florida Man Connects Father to His Own Mother – Jim Lane’s (Key Biscayne, Fla.) father never knew his mother, who died when he was an infant. Through historical records and member connection services on Ancestry.com, Jim discovered relatives who sent him pictures of his grandmother, and for the first time, Jim’s father was able to see a photograph of his mother.

Above: A picture of Jim’s Grandmother Donna.

Chicago Cook Meets Like-Minded Cousin – When caterer Peggy McDowell (Chicago) began researching the cooking talent in her family tree, she had no idea she would end up going into business with a long-lost cousin. Through searching records on Ancestry.com, she connected with her cousin, who also shares her passion for cooking. Together, they’re opening up a soul food restaurant in Chicago’s Hyde Park.

Here is an example of one of the spots, featuring Peggy:

Washington Woman Confirms Father’s Passing – Cathryn Darling (Olympia, Wash.) had many unanswered questions about her father, who had disappeared when she was eight years old after her parent’s divorce. After searching Ancestry.com’s obituary records, Cathryn learned her father died as a fisherman while at sea in Oregon in 1970, and she recently held a memorial service in his honor.

We hope you enjoy these stories as much as we do! Take a minute and check out the rest of the television spots, or read the press release.

• Valentine Day (WWI Draft Card)
• Mary A Valentine (1930 Census)
• Cupid Hart (1870 Census)
• Rose Bouquet (1930 Census)
• Love Queen (WWI Draft Card)
• Chocolate Cherry (AL Marriage Collection)
• Lottie Chocolate (1930 Census)
• Sweet Heart Bush (1930 Census)

Rose Bouquet – 1930 Census

Love Queen (WWI Draft Card)

Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without chocolate. We found a little chocolate on Ancestry.com, too. By 1900, Milton Snavely Hershey was focusing all his energy on his up-and-coming chocolate business, selling off his caramel business and producing America’s first milk-chocolate Hershey bar. We found a passport applicaton on our site for Mr. Hershey from 1918, in which he applies for a passport to visit Cuba due to his interest in sugar mills and the railroad.

Milton Hershey’s Passport Application 

Go ahead and see if you have a Valentine in your family tree!

One of the treasures in the collection is a letter written by Ellie B. Reno, a woman who had disguised herself as a male to fight in the Union Army, asking Lincoln, “…iff [sic] I can remain in your Service…”

Letter Written by Ellie Reno, dated May 11, 1863 

Other new Civil War era databases include:

• New Orleans Slave Manifests, 1807-1860 – includes images of ship manifests transporting more than 30,000 slaves en route to New Orleans from the upper Southern states, who were likely being moved to provide labor for the booming cotton industry.
• Confederate Pension Applications from Georgia, 1879-1960 – these 60,000 applications were filed by Civil War veterans and their widows. Pension files can include applications, correspondence regarding the pensioner, affidavits, receipts, transfer of assignment of pension funds, and military records.
• Confederate Applications for Presidential Pardons, 1865-1867 – a collection containing more than 15,000 records of former Confederate soldiers and government officials requesting Presidential pardons. At the end of the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson granted general amnesty, with a few exceptions. Former Confederates not covered by general amnesty had to request a pardon and amnesty, and was given on a case-by-case basis.
• Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles - contains more than 4.2 million records and profiles about nearly every officer and soldier who fought in the Civil War. While the database has been on Ancestry.com for awhile, this update includes more than 18,000 photographs of soldiers, as well as biographies and signatures, none of which was on Ancestry.com previously.

Over the next two years, we will add millions more historical records from the Civil War period to our site, as the country approaches the sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of that historic conflict.

Search Ancestry.com’s Civil War Collection at www.ancestry.com/civilwar.

• When: February 27-28th, 2009, 8AM – 6PM
• Where: The Dixie Center, located at 1835 Convention Center Drive, St. George, Utah 84790

The expo features two full days of classes taught by some of the nation’s top family history instructors. The free Exhibit Hall includes vendors from all over the United States (as well as Europe).

Ancestry.com presenters will offer classes on searching Ancestry.com, using Ancestry Member Trees, DNA, basic research techniques, the Ancestry Community, Family Tree Maker 2009, and more. And don’t forget to stop by the Ancestry.com booth in the free exhibit hall, where you can learn more about the Ancestry.com World Archives Project and ask questions one-on-one with Ancestry staff members.

The cost for attending the classes, including the Ancestry.com track of classes, is $60 if you register by February 14th; the price goes up to $65 after February 14th and at the door. You can learn more about the expo and register online at http://www.fhexpos.com/.

We hope to see you in St. George!

During the interview, Kenny offers his Top Five Tips for making the most of Ancestry Member Trees. You can listen to the podcast here.

The new Ancestry.com World Archives Project is a global initiative that gives individuals everywhere the opportunity to help index and preserve important historical records. Anyone interested in indexing through the World Archives Project can go to http://www.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject. Soon, active contributors (those keying at least 900 records per quarter) indexing for the World Archives Project will be able to take advantage of several benefits including:

•  Free access to all images associated with all collections keyed through the Ancestry.com World Archives Project
• Discounts on their current Ancestry.com memberships upon renewal
• The ability to vote on which collections are indexed next (and thereby suggest collections that may be of personal interest to them)  

Current Collections in the World Archives Project include:

Current Projects

• Historic Postcards (France) – 40% complete

• Lubeck Marriage Banns (Germany) - 86% complete

• England and Wales, Criminal Registers, 1805 – 1892 – 28% complete

• England, Newspaper Index Cards (Andrews – UK) – 14% complete

• Nebraska State Census, 1885 – 38% complete

• New England Naturalization Indexes – 20% complete

• New York Naturalization Indexes – 2% complete

• NYC Naturalization Indexes – 1% complete

• Southern California Naturalization Indexes – 19% complete

We also have a few collections that are now in the arbitration process. These include:

Projects in Arbitration

• Middlesex, Criminal Registers – 69% complete

• Marriages of the Deaf in America – 71% complete

• Alabama State Census – 89.9% complete

• Historic Postcards (Swedish) – 69% complete

• Historic Postcards (Italian) – 76% complete