Genealogy Insider - Genealogy Events

Genealogy News Corral: November 16-20

Diane — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:41:39 GMT

In preparation for the Civil War sesquicentennial from 2011 to 2015, the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) and Cleveland State University's Center for Public History and Digital Humanities launched a website about Ohio’s role in the Civil War. You can submit content for several areas of the site. See the OHS newsletter for more information.
FamilySearch updated several collections on its free Record Search Pilot site: the 1920 US census index (Texas, Ohio and Iowa were added), Massachusetts marriages, Spanish civil registers, Brazil Catholic church records, and Mexico Catholic baptisms. To see details of each collection, click the appropriate region on the site’s map, click the collection title, then click About This Collection.
Pedigree database site OneGreatFamily created a page to help you discover Mayflower ancestors. You’ll find a list of passengers and information about their journey, and if you have a tree on the site (requires a subscription or a free trial), you can see if your branches match up with a Mayflower tree. Follow the directions on OneGreatFamily's Mayflower page to get started.
If you’re going to the National Genealogical Society (NGS) annual conference in Salt Lake City April 28 to May 1, NGS has arranged air travel discounts of 2 to 7 percent with Delta/KLM/NWA, and car rental discounts of 8 percent with Thrifty. See the NGS website for how to take advantage of these deals.

Brick Wall Strategies Webinar Update

Diane — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:54:44 GMT

Every genealogist has a brick wall ancestor, it seems--so just about everyone can use the advice in our next webinar, titled (predictably) Brick Wall Strategie s.

I'll be hosting the hourlong session Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. Eastern, and as I began preparing for the webinar, I thought: This would be a perfect time to call in a professional who helps family historians surmount their research obstacles every day.

So I'm delighted to announce that David Allen Lambert, online genealogist for the New England Historic Genealogical Society, will be joining me for as the co-host of the webinar. David will offer advice on participants' specific brick wall problems, and be on hand to answer questions during a live Q&A period.

Other good news: We're extending the early bird rate of $39.99 until Thursday (Nov. 12) at midnight. Register now to receive this $10 discount.

Can't make it on Nov. 18? Take advantage of the discount to get access to the webinar recording (which you can view as many times as you'd like), as well as the bonus materials provided only to participants in the live webinar--including a PDF of the presentation slides and our Genealogy Guidebook of 100+ brick wall busting ideas.

When you sign up, you'll have the opportunity to submit your brick wall problem for a chance to receive personalized advice from David.

More resources:

Genealogy News Corral: November 2-6

Diane — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:24:18 GMT

Here's what's in this week's roundup:

Databases recently updated or added in FamilySearch’s free Record Search pilot include the Indiana marriage index, Netherlands parish registers (images only so far), 1920 US Census index, Brazil Catholic church records (images only so far), and Italy municipal records (images only so far).

To see details of each addition, click the relevant region on the Record Search Pilot map. Then click the title of the collection in the alphabetical list. (Look for more FamilySearch search tips in the January 2010 Family Tree Magazine, on newsstands Dec. 15.)

Dick Eastman started a free site called GenQueries for posting your surname research queries (for example, “Seeking information about Eugene and Lilly WOODFORD family, lived in Marion Co., Indiana, in 1900”). You also can advertise genealogy services or societies, and search others’ ads. Read about GenQueries on Dick’s blog.

I read about this on the ArchivesNext blog: The Amsterdam, Netherlands, city archives has a scan-on-demand program. You can search the archives’ online records inventory, and if a particular item hasn’t been scanned, ask staff to scan it. You also can search an index to find already-scanned records. There is a fee to obtain a scan, which helps fund the program.

Genealogy and family networking site MyHeritage launched a Family Statistics feature for the family tree sites on MyHeritage. The feature generates statistics, such oldest living relative or most common birth month in the family, based on data in the tree. Family Statistics works for sites on the free basic plan as well as the paid plans.

Registration is now open for the 2010 National Genealogical Society (NGS) annual conference, April 28 to May 1 in Salt Lake City. Registration fees range from $175 to $245 for the full conference, or $95 to $115 per day—it depends whether you’re an NGS member, whether you want the syllabus in print or on a CD, and whether you make the March 8 early bird deadline.

Genealogy News Corral: October 19-23

Diane — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:08:48 GMT

Here are some of the week's genealogy news tidbits:

We wrote about ethical wills (last statements concerning personal values rather than property) in the September 2008 Family Tree Magazine. (Family Tree Magazine Plus members can read the article here.)

Ready to get started on one? Personal historian Dan Curtis is offering a free, seven-part online course on writing an ethical will for your heirs.

The 2010 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, five days of family history classes happening Jan. 11 to 15, is taking registration. Learn more about the schedule, registration fees and course descriptions on the Utah Genealogical Association website.

We don’t hear a lot of news about Chinese genealogy in the United States, but there’s an article about China's ancestral halls on the Wall Street Journal website. (Thanks to Tom Kemp of GenealogyBank for sharing this link.)

Discover more resources for Chinese genealogy in these Genealogy Insider posts.

The new Amelia Earhart movie is getting tepid reviews (from what I’ve seen, anyway), but the real-life details of her 1937 disappearance might be more interesting. Ancestry.com’s "Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad" collection contains a case file of correspondence concerning an investigation into the theory that Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were imprisoned in Saipan. Find out more about the case on Ancestry.com’s blog and on Ancestry.com's “What really happened to Amerlia Earhart?” page.

Genetic genealogy company DNA Consultants has added a blog to its revamped website; posts review news and research on dna testing and popular genetics. That involves some complex scientific terms and concepts, so put on your genetic genealogist hat when you visit.

First International Black Genealogy Summit Coming this Month

Grace — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:35:08 GMT

October brings an exciting first in African-American genealogical history. The International Black Genealogy Summit (IBGS) Oct. 29-31 at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Ind., will be the first mass gathering of all black historical and genealogical societies in the US, Canada and the Caribbean.

"Pulling all the black genealogy societies together has never been done," says conference co-chair Algurie Wilson. "We've all met in our own backyards, but not together. But I've got people coming from everywhere."

IBGS kicks off with a free Thursday pre-conference with workshops, a movie, and extended research hours. Friday and Saturday will be packed with lectures, exhibitors, vendors, and social time (download the schedule here).

"In the workshops, we'll be talking about all the genealogical resources we have," says Wilson. "But besides the workshops, there's great camaraderie. I'm especially looking forward to the banquet and luncheon. We're encouraging African attire. There will be so many beautiful colors. The atmosphere in the room will just be bubbling. I'm also getting an African dance troupe—nobody knows about that yet! I can't wait to hear the keynote speakers, too."

Friday evening's speaker will be Dorothy Spruill Redford, author and nationally recognized interpreter of the African family experience in the South. Hana Stith, curator of the African/African-American Historical Museum in Fort Wayne, will speak at a Saturday luncheon.

Wilson has been encouraged by enthusiastic response despite the difficult economy. "When I talk to someone on the phone and hear their excitement, I realize this is why we're doing it. I've got someone coming on the bus for 17 hours. I'm going to buy that person a drink! That tells you how important it is for us to put this event on."

To Wilson, this event is all about people—both past and present. "I tell new researchers, 'You want to talk to the person next to you. You might find someone looking for the same family tree. You never know what you can discover and more importantly, who you can discover.'"

If you're interested in attending IBGS, visit the conference registration page for more information.

—Sunny McClellan Morton
www.sunnymorton.blogspot.com

Genealogy News Corral: September 21-25

Diane — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:44:31 GMT

Is it the end of September already?? Here's our last new roundup for the month

Today’s the last day to get the $55 early bird registration special for the Mesa Family History Expo, Jan. 22-23 in Mesa, Ariz. If you miss the deadline, you still can save by preregistering for $65. Admission at the door costs $75. The exhibit hall is free to the public.

Those with African-American roots, mark your calendars for the International Black Genealogy Summit at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Ind., Oct. 29 to 31. It’s the first gathering of African-American historical and genealogical societies from the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Watch this blog for more details.

On his Genealogy Blog, Leland Meitzler reported on the SwedGen Tour, in which a team of Swedish genealogy experts is stopping at several research facilities to give presentations on Swedish genealogy resources (including subscription records site Genline and the Släktdata vital records site) and offer one-on-one consultations. See the schedule and preregister at the SwedGen Tour site.

I came across a neat blog today called Dear Annie. A Minnesota woman is posting 700 postcards (images and transcriptions) that her Great-aunt Annie Bartos, who died in 1983, saved during her 90 years.

Ways to Say "Woot!" for Family History Month 2009

Diane — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:17:07 GMT

Question of the day: What do we celebrate in October? Columbus Day, yes. Halloween. The start of the Christmas season, in most shopping malls.

October also is Family History Month. In 2001, Congress first passed a resolution introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, who wrote, "By searching for our roots, we come closer together as a human family.”

Similar legislation has passed in several years since. I couldn't find an official declaration for 2009 (anyone else?), but family history enthusiasts continue to celebrate Family History Month in October.

Don’t hesitate to hold your own party. Give yourself a whole Saturday at the library or Family History Center, ask a relative your burning family history questions, put some photos in an album, jot down a family story, or tell your state representative how much you appreciate your public library's genealogy resources. The New England Historic Genealogical Society has more ideas.

Here’s a sampling of genealogy classes and other special events we’ve heard about. Check program schedules for your local library and genealogy society to see what’s going on near you.

The California Genealogical Society and Library in Oakland will waive its non-member library use fee and host a range of how-to workshops during October.

Saturday, Oct. 3, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County offers classes, Genealogy and Local History Department tours, and free consultations with Hamilton County Genealogical Society experts. More events happen throughout the month, including a library lock-in Oct. 17. See the Genealogy Section of the library’s October Calendar (a PDF download) for more details.

The Fort Myers-Lee County Library in Florida has a free Family History Month class series on Saturdays in October. For more info, mouse over the listings on the library’s online calendar.

The Indiana State Library in Indianapolis has lots of classes planned, including dating photographs, Indiana marriage laws and getting started.

The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Ind., has something going on every day in October, including sessions on house history, female ancestors and Adobe Photoshop, as well as the first-ever International Black Genealogy Summit (Oct. 29-31).

Online genealogy class Web site GenClass is sponsoring a competition for a free genealogy class—write a 1,200 word essay about a creative way you’ve honored your ancestors and what inspired you. Get the entry instructions here.

Have yourself a happy Family History Month!

$10 Off Our Upcoming Immigration Webinar

Allison — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:53:15 GMT

Just a reminder that today's the last day to take advantage of the early bird rate on this month's webinar, Online Immigration Records: Retracing Your Ancestors' Journey on Sept. 22.

The discounted price of $39.99 expires at midnight tonight. After that, registration will cost $49.99.

If you haven't participated in one of our webinars, you could think of it as a "souped up" online genealogy seminar. Besides participation in the live event—which you can attend in your jammies if you want—you get a link to the recording so you watch the session as many times as you'd like, a PDF of the presentation slides and an e-book of related how-to guides for further reading.

Diane will be hosting the immigration webinar, which starts at 7 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Central/5 p.m. Mountain/4 p.m. Pacific. You'll find more details on the registration page.

2009 FGS Conference Roundup

Diane — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:31:00 GMT

Last week's Federation of Genealogical Societies conference was light on news, but still heavy on genealogical enthusiasm and camaraderie. We heard there were about 700 registered attendees, though FGS hasn't shared official numbers. Here's a roundup of conference news, plus links to postings on other blogs:

Subscription family tree site One Great Family exhibited this year as part of a new marketing effort to reach the genealogy community.

One Great Family automatically merges trees when it finds the identical person on both, which sounds a bit scary—but where the trees differ, the site maintains the differences and each member sees the version of the tree he believes is correct. President Rob Armstrong says no one can change your view of your tree, but everyone can see your version and accept your view if they choose. A subscription costs $59.95 annually; a free one-week trial offer is available.

A new company called Geneartogy uses your ancestors’ names and photos to create frameable, decorative trees on canvas (you also can get the designs on smaller plaques). Prices range from a $98 extra-small plaque to a $408 extra-large canvas, with an additional cost for framing.

Next year’s FGS conference is slated for August 18-21 in Knoxville, Tenn., home of the East Tennessee Historical Society’s excellent museum and research library (and close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park). Many classes will cover the historic and cultural roots of Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as the in- and out-migrations of those states.

(The 2010 National Genealogical Society conference, by the way, is in Salt Lake City, so you could double up on a trip to the Family History Library.)

If you’re new to genealogy conferences, you might be curious about the long panel of ribbons dangling from some attendees’ name badges, like so:

(This is podcast host Dear Myrtle’s badge.) Ribbons designate society memberships, honors and more. All registrants got an “Ancestry.com member” ribbon (whether or not they actually were members) and first-time attendees got “First FGS Conference.” FGS board members, speakers and genealogical societies delegates received ribbons. I got “Podcast Fan” and “Keeping up With Blogs” at a social networking forum. Some highly involved folks had to take special measures to secure their ribbons:

Click to see our earlier posts on the Ancestry.com/NEHGS partnership, FamilySearch announcement about Arkansas marriage records and Library of Michigan news.

For more from the conference, check out posts by Dick Eastman, Randy Seaver and Dear Myrtle (scroll down). Feel free to click Comments and add a link to your FGS 2009 conference post.

Ancestry.com to Partner with NEHGS

Diane — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:27:06 GMT

At a reception it hosted tonight at the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference, Ancestry.com CEO Tim Sullivan and New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) marketing director Tom Champoux announced a new partnership.

NEHGS’ historical records, which Champoux says date back up to 400 years, will be part of Ancestry.com’s World Archives Project . The digitized records and their indexes will be accessible to subscribers of Ancestry.com or NewEnglandAncestors.org (NEHGS’ Web site). Update: The indexes will be free.

The records to be digitized are as yet unspecified. (Sullivan was tight-lipped in general due to Ancestry.com’s pending IPO filing with the SEC.)

We'll keep keeping you updated with conference news.

Tips for FGS and Other Genealogy Conferences

Diane — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:28:53 GMT

This week, I and a few hundred other genealogists from around the country are headed to Little Rock, Ark., for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) annual conference.

I’m looking forward to hanging out in the Family Tree Magazine booth (#407), handing out magazines, showing off our latest products, answering questions and chatting with readers. It'll also be an opportunity to catch up with other genealogy bloggers and writers, and get the scoop on the latest news and resources. I'll be posting it here.

Besides touring the exhibit hall, attendees also will go to classes and workshops, field trips to local repositories, luncheons and other social events.

And I’m super-excited about squeezing in a little newspaper research at the Arkansas state archives. My bootlegging ancestor lived on the Texas side of Texarkana, a city that straddles the border, and I’m hoping his “entrepreneurship” made the local news.

Some tips for those going to FGS or another conference:

Wear comfortable shoes—you’ll be walking to classes, walking to your hotel, walking through the exhibit hall … you get the idea.

The air conditioning always seems to be cranked up at these things, so bring a cardigan.

Bottled water is pricey and drinking fountains can be hard to find. You can save by bringing an empty bottle to refill. (I usually bring granola bars, too. I have a thing about knowing where my next meal is coming from.)

Bring business card with surnames and places you’re researching and your genealogy e-mail address, in case you run into someone researching your lines.

Bring extra address labels, too, so you can stick them on entry forms for drawings (including ours).

If you’re attending by yourself and everybody else seems to know somebody, remember genealogists are a friendly bunch. Just say hi and introduce yourself. If all else fails, ask the person next you about his or her ancestors—you’ll have a conversation partner in no time flat.

Plan ahead for any research you want to do, so you can make sure you have all the charts and records you need.

Take some time before classes start to decide which ones you want to attend and learn where the classrooms are. That way, you won't miss the first 10 minutes because you couldn't find the room.

Take a reconnaissance walk through the exhibit hall and mark on your booth map all the vendors you want to return to. Check off each one as you visit it, but be sure to leave time for browsing.
Some exhibitors pack up early on Saturday to catch flights and whatnot, so don't leave important business for the very end.

Pre-registration for FGS has closed, but you still can register at the door. A day registration costs $120; the full conference costs $225 (but just visiting the exhibit hall is free).

The conference is at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. You’ll find this and more information on the FGS conference blog.

Hope I’ll see you there!

Genealogy News Corral: August 24-28

Diane — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:20:36 GMT

Hundreds of genealogists—your truly included—are packing their bags for the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Little Rock, Ark., Sept. 2 to 5. I’ll write more about the conference in a separate post next week, but in the mean time, you can check out the conference Web site and blog.

The National Archives’ marriage records (1815 to 1866) from the Virginia Field Office of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands (Freedmen’s Bureau) have been digitized and are now available free at the FamilySearch record search pilot site.

Subscription genealogy Web site Ancestry.com and its related international sites will be down for scheduled maintenance for about three hours starting Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 1 a.m. Mountain Time. Portions of RootsWeb, Genealogy.com, MyFamily.com and FamilyTreeMaker.com—which live on Ancestry.com servers—also will be unavailable.

Mark your calendars for National Museum Day Sept. 26, when hundreds of museums across the country will offer free general admission to you and a guest when you present a Museum Day admission card, downloadable from this site.

A Deerfield, Ill., documentarian has created a show called “The Legend Seekers,” which traces family legends of regular people. You can submit your family story at LegendSeekers.com, see others' stories and get research tips. Chicago-area residents can watch an episode on WTTW Channel 11 Aug. 30 at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 a.m. Aug. 31. (It’ll also run on WTTW Prime—Comcast Channel 243—at 9:30 p.m. Aug. 31, and 4:30 and 9:30 a.m. Sept. 1.)

Genealogy News Corral: August 17-21

Diane — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:13:47 GMT

We rounded up these items for this week's news corral:

FamilySearch and Svensk Arkivinformation (part of the National Archives of Sweden) are starting a huge project to create a free online index to 418 million names in Swedish parish registers of births, christenings, marriages and burials. Volunteers will index registers from the start of recordkeeping (between 1608 and 1686, depending on the parish) through 1860.

StoryCorps will bring its mobile oral history recording booth to the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) conference that starts Sept. 2 in Little Rock, Ark. See the FGS blog for details on booking a time slot and preparing to tell your story.

Heritage Travel, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is launching a free online travel community called Gozaic with several “circles” for those interested in history-related travel. Those include Civil War Buffs, Abraham Lincoln, Family Heritage Travel, Journeys into Hidden America and others. Visit the pre-launch site to learn more.

On a celebrity baby blog this week, actor/producer Lisa Kudrow describes her next project as “a genealogy series in which we take stars to their ancestral landmarks ... different countries and places where they see documents and they see homes or buildings or things that have to do with their family.” (Scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full statement.)

Maybe the postponed US version of “Who Do You Think You Are?” will see the light of our TV screens. (Last we heard, it didn’t make NBC’s fall lineup, but might show up as a mid-season replacement.)

Headed to the Family History Expo Next Week!

Diane — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:35:00 GMT

The Salt Lake City Family History Expo, which Family Tree Magazine is sponsoring, is next week—August 28 and 29, to be exact—in Sandy, Utah, just south of the genealogical capital of the United States.

Editor Allison Stacy will be in the exhibit hall in booth 202, handing out magazines and other freebies and displaying the latest CDs and other products from Family Tree Magazine.

You can check out the list of exhibitors, classes and many opportunities to win prizes on the Family History Expos Web site.

The exhibit hall is open to the public. A conference registration, which gets you into classes and other activities, costs $68 until Aug. 24; at the door, it's $78 for both days or $48 for one day. This event is unique in that you can pay to take individual classes for $12 per session.

There’ll also be Internet access in the Blogger Bistro and Twitter Café where attendees can use a workstation to blog or tweet.

The expo’s 11 Bloggers of Honor will be blogging throughout. Organizer Holly Hansen’s blog is here; you can link to all the blogs from the expo’s Web site.

Follow the expo on Twitter at @FHExpos. Its hashtag is #FHX09-SLC. Search Twitter on this hashtag to see Tweets about the conference.

Ancestry.com to Digitize Records and Photos Free at FGS

Allison — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:37:21 GMT

Consider bringing your family's records with you if you’re going to the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference Sept. 2-5 in Little Rock.

Ancestry.com is bringing high–speed scanners so conference-goers can digitize records and photos.

You can sign up for a 15–minute scanning session Sept. 3 through Sept. 5 during exhibit hall hours (9:30 am to 5 pm Thursday, Sept. 3; 9 am to 5 pm Friday and Saturday). That's enough time to scan an estimated 100 photos and/or documents.

You'll need to stop by the scanning station in the convention center’s Toltec Lobby registration area in the morning to snag a scanning session for that day.

Ancestry.com imaging specialists will operate the scanners—a looseleaf scanner for documents and photos; a planetary scanner for books and fragile items. You’ll get the full-color digital images on a free flash drive. The cynics among you can rest assured your records won’t be uploaded to Ancestry.com.

Be judicious about the documents and photos you bring: There’s always the possibility your items could be damaged during scanning. Whatever you do, don’t pack irreplaceable records in checked luggage.

Ancestry.com asks those who plan to participate in the scanning to go to this Web page and click Register.

Genealogy News Corral: August 3-7

Diane — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:43:17 GMT

Got a few updates for this week’s news roundup:

About 450 people attended a rally at the Michigan State Capitol and the State Library complex to protest Gov. Granholm’s executive order to disband the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (more on the plan here).

Read a report on the event and watch a video on the Lansing State Journal Web site.

Jewish genealogy site JewishGen, which is in the midst of a redesign, is showing off a new, streamlined home page and a Get Started feature for beginners. Though many JewishGen databases are now searchable as free collections on Ancestry.com, you still can access them through JewishGen.

The Family History Expo in Sandy, Utah, is right around the corner, Aug. 28 and 29. Hone your genealogy skills in classes on everything from Google to formulating a research strategy, and browse dozens of exhibitors (say hi to Family Tree Magazine editor Allison Stacy in booth 202!). Get more details and register at FamilyHistoryExpos.com.

Genealogy News Corral: July 27-31

Diane — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:19:19 GMT

These are some of the news bits that wandered across our desks this week:

First, a reminder that if you plan to subscribe to Footnote or renew your subscription, stop procrastinating. The $59.95 annual subscription sale ends at midnight tonight (July 31). Also tomorrow, the membership rate goes from $69.95 to $79.95 per year.

Another reminder for those who’ve been meaning to search the Caribbean slave records on Ancestry.com—the free period ends tonight. More on this collection here.

Speaking of Ancestry.com, the new Member Connect features—which let you comment on and correct records, as well as get in touch with other members—went live this week. Click here for more on Member Connect.

The FGS 09 conference is just a month away, Sept. 2-5 in Little Rock, Ark. Get news updates and registration information from the conference blog, and when you’re there, stop by to see us at the Family Tree Magazine booth (#407).

This from Dick Eastman’s blog: The British national archives and UK-based family history site Findmypast.com are giving seven repositories in England and Wales free online access to the recently completed 1911 census records. See Dick's post for the list of archives.

Genealogy News Corral: July 20-24

Diane — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:25:54 GMT

This week sure flew by, didn’t it? Here’s our news news roundup:

New records this week on the free FamilySearch Record Search Pilot include an index to Cheshire, England, Non-conformist records (1671 to 1900), and index to the 1895 Minnesota state census, and images for the 1905 New York state census (the index is still in progress).

New indexing projects are underway for Italy, New Zealand, Perú and the United States; volunteers who can help with foreign language projects are needed. Go to the FamilySearch Indexing site for more information.

Library and Archives Canada’s online Canadian Genealogy Center—one of our 101 Best Web Sites for 2009—released an index of 206,731 Canadians naturalized from 1915 to 1932. You can use the information in the database to request the original naturalization records.

The International Association of Jewish Genealogists conference is coming right up Aug. 2-7 in Philadelphia. Besides genealogy classes and an exhibit hall, you can use a Resource Room stocked with research materials and computers. Extracurriculars include walking tours, bus tours and cemetery research trips. Visit the conference Web site for registration information.

A Twitter retweet from @mdiane_rogers led us to a free database from professional genealogy firm Price & Associates of indentured immigrants who arrived between 1607 and 1820. You can search by first and last name, date and place of of birth, and other parameters. Sources of the information are listed on the site.

Ancestry.com has upgraded its “hinting engine” for FamilyTreeMaker. Now a faster, higher-capacity engine will automatically search Ancestry.com and display a leaf next to a name in FamilyTreeMaker's pedigree and detail views if there's a potential match. The new engine also searches Ancestry Member Trees instead of One World Tree data.

Genealogy News Corral: June 22-26

Diane — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:13:56 GMT

Here are some of the news items we rounded up this week:

To keep tabs on this weekend’s Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree in Burbank, visit the Genealogy Gems blog, Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter and Genea-Musings. Twitter users can search for #scgs09.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies 2009 conference early bird registration deadline is next Wednesday, July 1. Make the deadline and you’ll pay $175, a savings of $50. Register online or by mail (must be postmarked no later than July 1).

The conference is Sept. 2-5 in Little Rock, Ark.

The New England Historic and Genealogical Society is organizing a few genealogy research trips, led by expert genealogists. Groups are headed to St. John’s, Newfoundland, July 12-19; the NEHGS Library in Boston Aug. 10-15; Edinburgh, Scotland, Sept. 20-27; and Salt Lake City Oct. 25-Nov. 1.

Find more details and prices on NEHGS’ events calendar.

Keep an eye on Miriam Midkiff's city directories portal Online City, County and Rural Directories. This week, she's added links to directories from more than a dozen US states and several Canadian provinces.

In response to a survey, FamilyLink updated its We’re Related Facebook application to let users put pets at the bottoms of their pedigree charts. (I'm not sure what the chart-with-pet looks like, so if you've done this, send me a picture.) It sounds fun—let’s just hope no one gets Bruno and Great-grandpa Charlie mixed up.

Genealogists Jam the Jamboree This Weekend

Diane — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:25:31 GMT

The genealogy world is on the move. Judging from all the blog posts and tweets, a whole bunch of you are headed to Burbank, Calif., for the Southern California Genealogical Society’s (SCGS) Jamboree 2009.

Attendees can choose from nearly 100 lectures, including a workshop from our Photo Detective, Maureen A. Taylor. Ethnic research classes focus on the British Isles, with others on Eastern European, Italian and African American ancestors.

The Small, Small World facilitated roundtable discussions on Saturday afternoon let folks exchange tips about researching overseas ancestors.

Blogger Summit 2: Son of Blogger—the sequel to last year’s inaugural meeting for genealogy bloggers—features leading bloggers including Lisa Louise Cooke, Dick Eastman, George G. Morgan and others.

The free exhibit hall will be packed with database and software companies, publishers, societies and other genealogy service providers. Stop by the Family Tree Magazine booth (#118) to meet Cooke, who hosts both the Family Tree Magazine podcast and the Genealogy Gems podcast, and pounce on show specials for how-to genealogy helps.

Registration costs $90 for all three days; and $45 or $50 for a single day. (SCGS members get discounts.)

There are some free sessions on Friday morning: a Librarians’ Boot Camp, Kids’ Family History Camp, and beginning genealogy classes.

For more details and updates, see the Jamboree home page and blog.

Rocky Mountain Genealogy High

Diane — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:06:56 GMT

Our adventurous editor Allison Stacy traveled to the Family History Expo in Loveland, Colo. (north of Denver), June 12 and 13, where she ran the Family Tree Magazine booth.

Visitors could take advantage of show specials on CDs, a drawing for our State Research Guides and Passport to Europe CDs, and free magazines and handouts.

Unique at the Expo was a Blogger Bistro and Twitter Café, where attendees could use workstations and watch conference events on a big-screen tv. Read what the designated “Bloggers of Honor” had to say at Arlene H. Eakle’s Genealogy Blog, HistoricalTownMaps (Bernie Gracy), Becky’s Grace and Glory (Becky Jamison) and Family Tree Climbing (Sarah Strong).

You also can watch video interviews from this and other Expos here and see the schedule of upcoming Family History Expos here.

The Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, Allison reports, is brand-new, convenient and super-nice (and, she was told, one of only two places in Colorado to serve buffalo fries).

The Rocky Mountains were tantalizingly close.

Stop by the Colorado Family History Expo

Grace — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:10:48 GMT

Our fearless editor, Allison Stacy, is in Loveland, Colo., this weekend for the Colorado Family History Expo, of which Family Tree Magazine is a sponsor. The weekend is jam-packed with sessions. Click here to see the whole listing.

If you're in the area and want to stop by, you can still register at the door; admission is $85 for both days or $45 for a single day. And make sure to visit us at booth 110!

Heirloom Webinar Discount Expires Tonight

Allison — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:01:21 GMT

Attention, coupon clippers: Today is your last chance to save $10 off registration in our next webinar, Heirloom Preservation Made Easy.

Use coupon code yc72fk78cr when you sign up to get the early bird price of $39.99. The coupon expires at midnight Eastern daylight time today, June 8. The webinar will take place June 24 at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Although it's easy to get caught up in the challenges of research, this session focuses on a subject we often don't pay enough attention to until a precious memento is lost or ruined. Don't let that happen to you!

Money-Saving Deals on IAJGS and FGS Genealogy Conferences

Diane — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:33:42 GMT

Two upcoming genealogy conferences are offering ways to save on registration fees, plus some opportunities for extra edification and fun:

The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) conference Aug. 2-7 in Philadelphia now has a $50 registration for people under age of 21—a great way to encourage the younger set to join in. The regular rate is $250 for the full conference.

Among the IAJGS' special workshops are a document- and photo-preservation session ($10) and the delicious-sounding Tasting World Jewish Cuisines: Turkish, Syrian, and Ashkenazi-Italkeni Recipes, with cookbook authors Sheilah Kaufman and Aliza Green ($20). Click here to register.

Register by July 1 to save $50 off full registration for the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference Sept. 2-5 in Little Rock, Ark. Early bird registration costs $175; after July 1, it’ll be $225. Click here to register.

Bonus for early arrivals in Little Rock: A free Ice Cream Social Tuesday, Sept. 1, 3-5 pm for registered conference-goers.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies is an umbrella organization for genealogical societies. Its conference, planned in conjunction with the Arkansas Genealogical Society, features classes, an exhibit hall, genealogy field trips and banquets.

Blog Reports From the NGS Conference

Diane — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:52:30 GMT

In case you missed one of our posts from last week's National Genealogical Society conference in Raleigh, NC, here's a list. I've added reports from other bloggers, too:

Genline Updates Mean More Swedish Records on the Genealogy Insider

Sir Walter Raleigh and North Carolina Genealogy on the Genealogy Insider

Ancestry.com: New Search and International Updates on the Genealogy Insider

Photos From the NGS Conference on the Genealogy Insider

News From the National Genealogical Society Conference on the Genealogy Insider

Report From Raleigh by Dick Eastman

Use of Online Trees Surpasses the Census at Ancestry.com on Leland Meitzler’s Genealogy Blog

Report #4: NGS 2009 Family History Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina by Jeffrey Vaillant, on the California Genealogical Society and Library blog (use the links at the bottom of the post to read Jeffrey's other reports)
Amy Coffin has a series of NGS 2009 posts at her WeTree blog
NGS Day One from DearMyrtle

Several folks were Tweeting, too. Read many of the 140-or-fewer-characters-at-a-time updates here.

Sir Walter Raleigh and North Carolina Genealogy

Diane — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:41:52 GMT

Raleigh, NC, is named for Sir Walter Raleigh. He’s the English explorer whose royal charter to colonize “the Colony and Dominion of Virginia” (which at the time extended far beyond present-day Virginia) resulted in the lost colony of Roanoke Island in 1591—but also paved the way for later colonization in the New World.

Sir Walter’s statue outside the convention center looks like he’s surveying his dominion.

The area’s first permanent European settlers came south from the colony of Virginia around 1650. The Province of Carolina was established in 1660. In 1712, North Carolina split off’ it became a royal colony in 1729 and was the 12th state to ratify the US constitution in 1789.

Here are some North Carolina genealogy links:

Ancestry.com: New Search and International Updates

Diane — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:28:46 GMT

In yesterday’s Ancestry.com bloggers meeting, held at the National Genealogical Society conference, leaders of several parts of the company talked about what the company’s been up to and goals for this year.

A lot of numbers were tossed out, which the company uses to understand which Ancestry.com databases and features you use most. For example, after member-to-member messaging was moved onto the site (so instead of just sending an e-mail to another user, you send a message that’s stored in the person’s in-box on the site), members sent 25 percent more messages. Responses increased 35 percent.

Some interesting stats involved the new search interface vs. the old one. Use of the two is evenly split, with longer-time members sticking with the old interface and newer members favoring the new interface (I have to wonder if they just haven’t discovered the old search yet). “Old-search searchers” do an average of 37 searches a day, and “new-search searchers” do an average of 21 searches per day.

The guy in charge of developing a newer new search, Tony Macklin, was frank about what’s wrong with the new search (this is from my scribbled notes, so it’s not a direct quote): queries don’t always return consistent results between the two platforms, you get too many irrelevant results, browsing by place is too difficult, and the individual database search templates aren’t as customized (Macklin uses the old search for individual databases). His examples were coupled with user comments.

He said changing the search interface without changing the actual search was a mistake, and the goal is to eventually bring together the best parts of both platforms.

Content-wise, Ancestry.com has grown to 8 billion names. Family trees recently passed the census as the most-used data set.

Some upcoming additions include the WWII “Old Man’s Draft” for Illinois, newspapers from 30 new cities, Jewish records with two new yet-to-be-announced partners, Navy cruise books, pre-1850 city directories and vital records.

In a large reception Ancestry.com held last night for conference attendees, senior VP Andrew Waite said the company is aiming for a balance of 30 percent upgrading current collections and 70 percent adding new ones—but that this figure has been more like 50/50 during the last few months.

Ruth Daniels from the UK office talked about negotiating digitization agreements in other countries, where records may be widely dispersed at state and local repositories, and laws and cultural attitudes differ around who should have access to records. For example, public access laws make UK records easier to acquire; Italy’s decentralized archives make things more challenging there. The just-released German telephone directories and records from the London Metropolitan Archives, launched in March and still being added, are two successes.

Photos From the NGS Conference

Diane — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:52:42 GMT

Here are a few photos of the National Genealogical Society Conference in Raleigh, NC:

FamilySearch (above), Ancestry.com, Footnote, ProQuest and other genealogical data providers do demos in the exhibit hall.

Here's a bird's eye view of the exhibit hall (it's toward the end of the day, so not as many folks are browsing around).

Here's another angle. You can see Ancestry.com's booth at the top center of the photo.

Book vendors often bring boxes and boxes of county and family histories, how-to books, maps and other sources.

Last Chance for $10 Off Census Webinar

Allison — Mon, 11 May 2009 21:58:55 GMT

The hours are waning to take advantage of the $10 early-bird discount on our next online workshop, Online Census Secrets: Best Web Sites and Strategies to Find Your Ancestors.

Diane and I will be leading this online seminar--"webinar" for short--May 27 at 7 p.m. EDT. If you've ever had trouble locating an ancestor in the census, you'll learn helpful tips and hints in this interactive session. We'll be demonstrating online census searching on screen, so you can see our advice in action.

Registration includes participation in the live workshop and Q&A session, of course, as well as these goodies:

• Online access to the workshop recording after the session concludes
• PDF of the presentation slides for future reference
• “Master the Census” article PDF
• Quick-reference chart showing which Web sites have which censuses and indexes

And until midnight EDT tonight (May 11), you can get $10 off the $49.99 workshop fee if you use coupon code: h6cl3cv7x4.

Visit our Web site for more details on the census workshop and to learn more about how webinars work.

Helpful Links for NGS Conference in Raleigh

Diane — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:06:18 GMT

Like some of you, we’re headed this week to the National Genealogical Society (NGS) conference in Raleigh. Aside from our booth banner, handouts, door prizes and other supplies, here’s what we’ll be packing for the conference:

Printouts of flight itinerary and hotel confirmation
Printout of downtown Raleigh map
List of appointments, meetings and classes to attend
Conference program
Tips on what to do and where to eat in Raleigh from FamilyTreeMagazine.com Forum Members
Laptop plus a low-tech backup: notepad and pen
Camera, extra batteries, USB cable for transferring photos
Phone and charger
Digital recorder
Flash drive loaded with stuff to work on during downtime
Umbrella (forecasts call for a chance of showers most days)
Sweater to keep warm in the exhibit hall

If you’re going to NGS, stop by and see us at Booth 319 in the exhibit hall. Admission to just the hall is free, and NGS lists a few other free events on its Web site.

To attend classes, you must be registered—see rates and information for registration at the door.

Also, if you want to research North Carolina ancestors while you’re there, the state archives and the genealogical services branch of the state library are about a mile from the Raleigh Convention Center. (Here’s an introduction to research in the Tar Heel state.)

Got a Web site helpful for those attending the NGS conference? Click comments and post the URL.

Happy Jewish-American Heritage Month!

Diane — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:32:39 GMT

Jewish American Heritage Month, which starts with the first day of May (that's tomorrow), brings you opportunities to learn about Jewish history.

President Bush announced the first monthlong commemoration of American Jewish roots in 2006. May was chosen to mark successful celebration of the 350th anniversary of American Jewish history in May 2004.

The National Archives headquarters in Washington, DC, will celebrate with a May 21 panel discussion of the National Museum of American Jewish History, which will open in Philadelphia in fall 2010.

The Library of Congress is holding three presentations, including one May 19 that explores the Jewish communities in Washington, DC, and Alexandria, VA, during the Civil War.

This Sunday afternoon, May 3, in Sacramento, Calif., there’s a Jewish American Heritage Festival.

Check with your library, synagogue and Jewish community center to find events near you. You can learn more about Jewish-American Heritage Month and see online exhibits by clicking here, through this site's events calendar still lists 2008 celebrations.

For tips and resources on researching Jewish roots, see our research toolkit and look for Schelly Talalay Dardashti’s seven search strategies in the September 2009 Family Tree Magazine (which mails to subscribers mid-June and goes on sale July 7).

Attention Googlers: Workshop is Tuesday

Allison — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:26:22 GMT

How many times a day do you search Google? Today, I'm up to only 7. But some days—when I'm not away from my desk so much—I'm searching the Web 20 or 30 times.

Because so much of my job is about finding and sharing information, I'm constantly seeking new and better ways to search. On Tuesday, I'm going to share the secrets I've learned in an online workshop called Googling Your Genealogy: 7 Essential Strategies.

If you've never attended an online workshop (or "webinar") before, it's kind of like attending a in-person genealogy seminar--only "cozier," because you can do it from the comfort of your own computer. You'll be able to listen, view the presentation slides, even ask questions. Learn more about the experience on our Online Workshops page.

The workshop is at 7 p.m. EDT and registration costs $49.99. I hope you'll join me!

We'll be doing more online workshops in the future, so if there's a topic you'd like us to offer, go ahead and e-mail me.

Genealogy News Corral, April 20-24

Diane — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:06:38 GMT

Here's our roundup of the week's genealogy news bits:

The New England Regional Genealogy Conference is now underway in Manchester, NH. If you're in the area, stop by today or tomorrow to take classes, check out the exhibitors and participate in the Ancestors Road show.

Subscription records site WorldVitalRecords.com enhanced its record image viewer to let you view newspaper images at up to 200 percent (before the most you could get was 100 percent). You also can print the zoomed record, save images to your computer and share images with friends and family.

Roots Television (genealogy tv you watch online) is bringing back the Down Under series, which has genealogists discovering intriguing stories about tombstones and those who’ve passed on.

FamilySearch online indexing volunteers reached a big milestone this week, transcribing their 250 millionth historical record. Record #250 million was part of Nicaragua civil registrations, extracted by three online indexers from Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras.

FamilySearch Indexing, begun in January 2006, now has more than 100,000 volunteers worldwide typing away.

This also from FamilySearch: Its expanded the Knowles Collection, a free database of Jewish records from Britain, to 40,000 names. You can download the database in GEDCOM or Personal Ancestral File format from FamilySearch’s Jewish resources page.
Update: Ancestry.com has change its Ancestry.com blog to disable commenting on posts once they've reached two weeks old. That's so staff can "track all comments in a more timely manner and reply as needed." See more on the Ancestry.com blog.

Interview With TV History Detective Tukufu Zuberi

Diane — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:29:52 GMT

Tukufu Zuberi, whom you might know as one of PBS television’s four History Detectives, is the guest on Lisa Louise Cooke’s current Genealogy Gems podcast episode.

Zuberi is the keynote speaker at the Southern California Genealogical Society’s annual Jamboree June 26-28 (where Cooke will be teaching and staffing the Family Tree Magazine booth—so stop by!).

He tells Cooke about tracing the genealogy of a dummy: Sam, that is, the first black ventriloquist's dummy to appear on Broadway.

And Zuberi talks about the show’s mission to discover the truth about historical (or turn-out-not-to-be-historical) objects, tell the personal stories behind those objects and show how “history is reflected in the living.”

“History is a result of everyday people living their lives,” he says in the interview—a sentiment I’d wear on a t-shirt any day. A must-listen.

Get Tricks for Googling Your Genealogy in Our Webinar

Diane — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:36:58 GMT

Google’s a great, no-cost tool to search for your ancestors online—when you can find the information you’re looking for without getting frustrated first.

Here's help: In Family Tree Magazine’s premier Webinar, April 28 at 7 p.m. EST, our publisher and editorial director Allison Stacy will show you how to:

• word your searches more effectively
• focus your searches on genealogy data and specific genealogy sites
• use Google’s special search tools to look up facts and data
• find old photos and newspapers related to your family history

The hour-long live event also includes a Q&A session.

If you’ve never taken a Webinar before, it’s an online, interactive, class you participate in using your Web browser. You’ll be able to ask questions and chat with the host. A broadband connection is recommended for best results.

Registration costs $49.99. There’s a special opportunity for the first 10 registrants: Each of those folks can submit a real-life “Google challenge” to get personalized search advice.

Click here to register. Once you do, you’ll receive an e-mail with a link and other information you need to take the Webinar.

OGS in Pictures

Grace — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:23:15 GMT

Diane and I spent the weekend up by Lake Erie at the Ohio Genealogical Society Conference to give away copies of the magazine and show our latest CDs.

The table where Diane and I sat saw a steady stream of visitors. We love meeting fans! Surprisingly, the gigantic cover of our November 2007 issue only got knocked over once.

Diane took advantage of downtime to edit an upcoming story about the National Archives by Rick Crume, who was also in attendance.

And there was time for cake.

Our fan club!

An impromptu family reunion—my mom stopped by! Mom was in town to visit her family, which is from the north central Ohio area.

On the way back south, Diane and I got a teensy bit lost and ended up driving past a nuclear power plant. No gills so far, so I think we're good!

If you went to the OGS conference, leave a comment and let us know how your weekend was!

Talking Genealogy in Northern Ohio

Diane — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:34:59 GMT

I had a chance to interview Ian Frazier, author of the book Family (Picador, $16) Thursday evening before the Ohio Genealogical Society Conference started up in Huron (on Lake Erie midway between Cleveland and Toledo). >

Frazier was the speaker at the society’s golden anniversary banquet. The book—one of my favorites—is about Frazier’s family, from the time his ancestors settled small towns in the Western Reserve to his own childhood in the northern Ohio town of Hudson. His incredibly detailed research comes across in the book, so I asked him how he organized it all and decided what to keep and what to leave out. You’ll see his answers in an upcoming Family Tree Magazine.

I snapped a picture of the banquet:

And here's Frazier signing books afterward:

Genealogy News Corral, March 22-27

Diane — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:35:41 GMT

Here's our roundup of the week's genealogy news:

Thinking about registering for the National Genealogical Society Family History Conference in Raleigh, NC, May 13 to 16? Think fast: The early-bird registration deadline ends next Tuesday, March 31. Make the deadline to save $35.

Not sure what to make of Twitter, Facebook, Geni, message boards and blogs? Genealogical Publishing Co. just released a book you might like: Social Networking for Genealogists by Drew Smith (one of the "guys" of the Genealogy Guys Podcast).

It moved around a bit, but NBC’s "Who Do You Think You Are?" premiere looks to be set for April 20.

With help from actor Richard Dreyfuss, the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) announced this year’s list of the 10 Most Endangered Civil War Battlefields—Gettysburg, Pa., Cedar Creek, Va., and Spring Hill, Tenn., all made the unfortunate cut.

Want to help? You can start by helping spruce up battlefields on CWPT’s Park Day April 4.

The National Archives Genealogy Fair is April 22-23. It offers classes on getting started, using online databases and records at the archives. There’ll also be exhibitors including Ancestry.com, the Library of Congress and the National Genealogical Society. See the National Archive Web site for times, locations, etc.

It's Friday—Time to Round up the Genealogy News

Diane — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:59:12 GMT

Here are some genealogical happenings that perked up our ears up this week:

Roots Television posted a video about Chris Haley—nephew of Roots author Alex Haley—and his first meeting with newfound cousin June Baff Black at last weekend’s Who Do You Think You Are? Live! family history show. Haley learned through DNA testing that he has Scottish Ancestry; the video shows how the test led him to Black.

News site SwissInfo launched We Shall Not Stay Long, a section for those whose ancestors left Italian-speaking areas of Switzerland for better lives in the Americas and Australia. You’ll find articles from expert historians and “witnesses to history,” photos and more.

Remember watching “Daniel Boone” on TV in the 60s? In the current Genealogy Gems Podcast, host Lisa Louise Cooke interviews Darby Hinton, who played Daniel Boone’s son, Israel.

FamilySearch’s volunteer indexing program recently completed a bunch of projects for the free FamilySearch record search pilot site, including church records for Cheshire, England (1538 to 1907). Indexes for the 1920 Washington, DC, US census; 1865 Massachusetts state census; and 1885 and 1935 Florida censuses are still being double-checked, but you can browse the Florida census images now.

Start This Sunday With Genealogy TV

Diane — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:46:47 GMT

Family historians get a two-fer this weekend on CBS “Sunday Morning”: Topics include keeping your family’s memories technologically accessible and the first national census. Bet this show would go great with pancakes.

Looking for a Genealogy Learning Opportunity?

Grace — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:12:09 GMT

A few genealogy events are coming down the pike, including:

Family History Expos—St. George: Family Tree Magazine is a sponsor of this laid-back conference in sunny St. George, Utah, Feb. 27 and 28. Registration costs $60 until Feb. 14 (get a move on!) and $65 after.

Ohio Genealogical Society: This large state society confabs April 2-5 in Huron, Ohio. (If you love roller coasters, Cedar Point isn’t far away.) March 15 is the early registration deadline; download the conference brochure for prices.

National Genealogical Society (NGS): We hope to see you at this conference in Raleigh, NC, May 13-16. Register before March 31 for the early-bird discount (check out the new NGS Web site while you’re at it).

Jamboree: This energetic Southern California Genealogical Society event is June 26-28 in Burbank. I didn’t see registration information yet, but you can book your hotel and sign up to get updates.

International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies: Online registration http://www.philly2009.org/ just opened for this conference in Philadelphia Aug. 2-7. (The program schedule listing classes is still to come.)

Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS): FGS is headed to Little Rock, Ark., Sept. 2-5. You can register online—it’s $175 until June 2. (Download the printable registration form to see at-the-door registration fees.)

See more genealogy events and post your group’s events in our online calendar. Posting instructions are in the FAQs and Updates Forum.

Family History Expo Podcast Interview

Allison — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:44:11 GMT

Family Tree Magazine is proud to be the media sponsor of Family History Expos, a series of two-day genealogy events happening in various Western cities throughout 2009. The next Expo is Feb. 27-28, in St. George, Utah.

DearMyrtle—whom you may know from her blog, Web site and Family History Hour podcast—recently interviewed yours truly for the Family History Expos Podcast. You can listen to our conversation by subscribing in iTunes or using the player on the show notes page.

Hello, Sunshine: The Family History Expo in Mesa

Diane — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:02:25 GMT

To show you the lovely weather in Mesa, Ariz., host of the Family History Expo whence I just returned, here’s a photo of Friday morning’s 8 a.m. opening session:

(Warm sunshine probably isn't a big deal to everybody who's reading this, but it is for someone who just came home to overcast skies and temperatures in the 30s.) That’s Don R. Anderson, senior vice president at FamilySearch, giving tips on finding ancestors in a digital world.

After snapping this photo, I raced to the Family Tree Magazine booth to prepare for the onslaught of researchers stopping to take magazines and handouts, start or renew subscriptions, and purchase our State Research Guides CD for their very own.

I had a great time meeting family historians from Mesa and beyond, including some (hi, Happy Dae!) whose posts I’ve read here and on our Forum. One visitor’s dad went to high school with my dad.

Keeping my sugar intake nice and steady, I took a Hershey’s Kisses tour of the exhibit hall (many exhibitors tempt conference-goers with candy). I scored a limited-edition macadamia nut kiss, sold only in Hawaii, from Ohana Software, makers of Family Insight.

Sacha, my neighbor over in the Genetree booth, brought cake to celebrate Genetree’s first birthday.

Some of the newer genealogy exhibitors I met on my tour include:

Photoloom, a site where you and your family can organize pictures around a photo-based family tree

Echo Media, a service for digitizing slides, prints, film and video- and audiotapes
LDSJournal, a personal journaling and memoir-writing site
Genlighten, a site where you can hire an amateur genealogist to do a research tasks in a distant repository
I-ASK, the International Association of Story Keepers, a network of oral history interviewers who also help you digitize photos and videos and share them online with family
Prepared Binder, a kind of kit for organizing family records and personal, medical, insurance, financial and other papers

Fun at the Fair

Diane — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:37:53 GMT

Congratulations to Jean Nathan of Cincinnati, winner of Family Tree Magazine’s door prize at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Family History Fair last Saturday.

She was one of the researchers who attended how-to classes and visited with representatives of local genealogical societies, the Hamilton County Recorder’s Office and others. It was great to see familiar faces from other genealogy gatherings and talk with newbie researchers.

Jean will go to her mailbox in a few days and find The Family Tree Guide to Finding Your Ellis Island Ancestors by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack, our International Genealogy Passport CD and our November 2008 issue.

The fair marked Family History Month, observed in October in many states. See if your local genealogical society (run a Google search or look here for links) or library (find links here) has any events going on.

Family Tree Firsts: Inside a Library Lock-in

Diane — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:20:27 GMT

I’ve always been an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kind of girl. As a kid, I was the first one to fall asleep at slumber parties and get her hand dipped in warm water (it doesn’t work, by the way).

So when I signed up for last Friday’s genealogy lock-in at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, I was worried I’d pass out on a city directory and end up with street names tattooed on my forehead. But I managed to last almost 'til the end.

If you've never been to a lock-in, it’s an after-hours research session at a library. Around 30 researchers (all the tables were taken!) had the genealogy and periodicals departments all to ourselves. I recognized a few people from April’s Ohio Genealogical Society conference.

The pursuit of family history kept everyone awake and focused, including me. I hadn’t made a firm research plan, so I wasn’t expecting thrilling discoveries. And I didn’t make any, but I got some groundwork laid.

I started off using the library’s free wireless to try some Ancestry.com searches for my dad’s family, who remain absent from the 1920 census. I did find the Social Security Death Index entry for the man who vouched for my great-uncle when he applied for a delayed North Carolina birth certificate in 1971.

Next I turned to Cincinnati city directories. My great-great-grandfather on my mom’s side started a cigar store in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, and his family ran it for years. When I was little, my mom drove me by the building—it had an outline where the “H.A. Seeger Cigar” sign used to be.

Here's a photo from around 1910:

(My great-great-grandfather is third from left; his son is in the doorway).

I wanted to see how long the store was open. My ancestor H.A. Seeger showed up in printed directories starting in 1875, when he boarded downtown, then in 1877, when he opened the cigar store (the family moved in above it). The store's listing disappears after 1955. Here’s a Google street view of the building today:

It was late by the time I was through photocopying directories. I decided to save map research for my next library trip, and browsed the compilations of vital records, church records and cemetery transcriptions from counties across the country.

Then I found my husband’s late-80s photographs among the high school yearbooks. That was entertaining.

I don’t know if it was the 80s hair or the hour, but I could feel my brain switch to Off mode, so I packed up my laptop and papers, checked my forehead for accidental tattoos (none), said goodbye to the bleary-eyed souls still scrolling microfilm, and went home to get some shut-eye for the next day’s Family History Fair. I’ll write about that tomorrow.

Congrats to Family Tree Magazine's FGS Door Prize Winner!

Diane — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:24:08 GMT

Congratulations to Noreen Manzella, of West Haven, Conn., who won Family Tree Magazine’s Federation of Genealogical Societies conference door prize. (Here's Genealogy Gems Podcast and Family Tree Magazine Podcast host Lisa Louise Cooke about to draw her name.)

And here’s Noreen's loot: a Family Tree Magazine tote bag stuffed with our State Research Guides CD, International Passport CD, The Family Tree Guide to Finding Your Ellis Island Ancestors, Your Guide to Cemetery Research and The Genealogist’s Question & Answer Book.

A Peek Inside the FGS Exhibit Hall

Diane — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:23:15 GMT

Family Tree Magazine’s home last week was in the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference exhibit hall at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.

If you've never been to a genealogy conference, we wanted to invite you in for a look!

In here, you’ll find displays and representatives from genealogy publishers, genetic genealogy companies, software manufacturers, libraries and archives, genealogical societies and more.

Visitors also can try out online database services such as Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, Footnote, ProQuest, Genealogy Today, GenealogyBank and others, and pick up tips from the people who help create those services.

Of course, genealogy conferences also offer a great chance to meet other researchers, seek advice from the experts, sit in on great classes and join field trips to local repositories.

Find more genealogy conferences and classes listed in our online events calendar.

News From the FGS Conference

Diane — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:10:32 GMT

News-wise, it's been kind of a quiet Federation of Genealogical Societies conference so far, but here are a few of the tidbits we picked up yesterday:

The Bureau of Land Management has been quietly adding military warrants to its General Land Office records database.
The Irish Family History Foundation has launched an online research service called RootsIreland. Sign up for a free registration with the site, then use it to search nearly 40 million church records at genealogical research centers in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Results show you basic information from the record; viewing a record transcription costs 5 Euros (about $7). You’ll also get information on other records and research services available in your ancestors’ county.
ProQuest (the company behind the HeritageQuest database you can access in many libraries) has introduced Historic MapWorks, a service that lets you browse historical maps or search them by keyword, address or latitude and longitude.

Some of the maps have landowners’ names, and you can move around to look at the neighbors and compare the old map to a modern one. It's not in many libraries yet, but ask at your library's reference desk if it's available there.

Genealogy Conference Underway in Philadelphia

Diane — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:58:58 GMT

The Federation of Genealogical Societies conference in Philadelphia got started last night with exhibit hall preview hours. The hall was busy with genealogists; a live events area features product demos and presentations. This morning is the opening session, followed by three days of conferencing—genealogy classes, meetings and exhibit hall shopping.

We'll keep you updated on conference news. Meanwhile, some show-and-tell. I got into Philadelphia early and tooled around to some of the historic sites, including:

… Christ Church Burial Ground, whose walls guard Benjamin Franklin’s gravesite (not in this photo) and those of other founding fathers and Christ Church congregation members. Few of the headstones are still readable, but a church record book has told caretakers the inscriptions many stones used to bear.

… Independence Hall, where the Constitutional Congress debated the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. (The chair at the head of the room is the one from which John Hancock presided over Congress; other chairs aren't original.)

… The Liberty Bell (this is the side opposite the famous crack), which used to be in the Pennsylvania State House. I learned it didn’t crack when the Declaration of Independence was signed—no one knows exactly when the large gap formed, but it was some time between 1817 and 1846.

Show Your Stuff in the Genealogy Blogger Olympics

Diane — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:20:23 GMT

Challenge yourself to go for the gold in your family tree research by participating in the Summer 2008 Genea-Blogger Group Games.

The Games, sponsored by bloggers at AnceStories and elsewhere, are open to members of the Facebook Genea-Blogger Group (which you can sign up for after becoming a member of Facebook).

No shotput-hurling or pole-vaulting here. The five events in the Genea-Blogger Games include citing sources, backing up data, organizing your research, writing about your family history and performing acts of genealogical kindness.

You’ll keep track of your own points and record your progress on your blog. Win enough points, and you’ll receive a medal to display there.

Competitors must register by 3 pm PDT Aug. 7, and the Games are on Aug. 9-23. See the AnceStories blog for registration instructions, detailed descriptions of each event and scorekeeping guidelines.

Now’s the time for all that genealogy training to pay off—let the games begin!