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Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

5 things I learned at RootsTech

February 11, 2014 By Janine Adams Leave a Comment

5 things I learned from RootsTech

Family History Library

I’m still processing all I learned from last week’s RootsTech conference. But several main points are top of mind and I want to share them with you:

It’s all about story. Gathering names, birth dates and death dates is the backbone of genealogical research. But filling in the gaps with stories is what brings the research to life. That might mean interviewing relatives. But it also means searching for documents (like court and probate documents) that can provide valuable information to fill in the blanks.

Genealogists are generous. I heard a talk from Michael Cassara of DigiRoots who not only volunteers with Billion Graves to share information from the headstones of New York City’s Calvary Cemetery, he also buys old, identified photos from flea markets and tries to get them to the descendants of those pictured. How great is that? So inspirational. That kind of generosity inspired me to sign up as an obituaries indexer at FamilySearch.org.

It really is a small world. I met up with one of this blog’s readers (shout out to Lori Krause!), with whom I enjoyed sitting at the keynotes and having lunch daily. We’re both researching ancestors in tiny Vernon County, Missouri. (The population of the entire county is only twice the number of attendees at RootsTech.) I serendipitously sat next to a gentleman who had lived for 15 years in sparsely populated Franklin County, Washington, where my grandparents lived and where my grandfather published the newspaper. So it’s very likely he met my grandfather. It’s amazing to me that in a conference of 10,000 people, I met someone who had met my grandfather in the middle of nowhere. (Oh, and the above-mentioned Michael Cassara knows my husband’s first cousin, Joan Marcus. They both work in the Broadway theater world.)

A conference of 10,000 people doesn’t have to be overwhelming. RootsTech was so well organized that except when the keynote session ended the first day and I was in a crush of people, I never felt overwhelmed. There were no long lines. Registration was lightning fast. It was truly professional conference and I’d go back in a heartbeat.

I want to go back to the Family History Library. One evening, conference attendees were invited to the famed LDS Family History Library for research and pizza. Though the library staff were swamped, I was lucky enough to confer with professional genealogist Lyn Rasmusen who helped me confirm that my records on my great great grandfather, George Washington Adams, were correct. (I had stated worrying that I had him in the wrong regiment in the Civil War.) Just that little taste of the expertise and resources available at the library has me itching to go back!

Incidentally, the video archive of RootsTech 2014 talks is now available. There are 14 classes and 3 keynotes available for you to watch from the comfort of your home, free of charge. I’ll be watching the classes, since I didn’t see any of them live. The keynotes were all great. I encourage you to take advantage of this great resource!

 

Filed Under: Excitement, Reflections, Technology Tagged With: conferences, excitement, learning opportunities, resources, technology

Just registered for RootsTech!

September 24, 2013 By Janine Adams 4 Comments

rootstechlogoI am very excited to be attending my first large-scale genealogy conference. Yesterday, I registered for RootsTech 2014, which will be held in Salt Lake City, February 6 to 8. Looking into the conference had been on my to-do list for awhile. When I finally went to the website, I was surprised and delighted to see that the early-bird conference registration fee for a four-day, full-access pass was only $159. That includes more than 200 classes. Talk about a deal. I didn’t hesitate for a moment.

In case you’re not familiar with it, RootsTech (in the words of its website) is, “A global family history event where people of all ages learn to discover and share their family stories and connections through technology. At RootsTech, there is something for you, regardless of your experience in family history or your skill in technology.”

I love the focus on technology. I love the notion of mingling with fellow genealogy enthusiasts and talking with the vendors. And I’m delighted by the idea of the educational sessions. I saw a couple of the talks that were streamed over over the internet last year and was inspired and impressed. I told myself I wanted to attend next year. And now I am.

Have you registered for RootsTech? If you’ll be attending, please let me know. I’d love to meet you!

Filed Under: Excitement, General Tagged With: conferences, excitement, resources, RootsTech

Free National Archives virtual genealogy fair next week!

August 30, 2013 By Janine Adams Leave a Comment

virtualgenfairposterI am really excited about the virtual genealogy fair the National Archives is putting on next week, September 3 and 4. Anyone can not only view a variety of genealogy lectures, but also there will be a genealogy help line open during the afternoons of the fair where you can ask your own questions! Recordings of the sessions will be available afterward.

And there’s no charge.

I so wish I didn’t have a client appointment on September 4. However, I’ve blocked out the 3rd on my calendar.

Here are the bare bones details. Go to the Archives fair website for complete details, including links to handouts.

What: National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair

When: September 3, 10 am to 4 pm eastern and September 4, 10 am to 5 pm eastern

How: View live broadcast via UStream (the webcast includes closed captioning and American Sign Language interpretation.) Questions will also be monitored on Twitter, hashtag #genfair2013

If you’re interested in participating, I urge you to click on the above link and read the instructions for participating in the webcast. You’ll need to create a UStream account if you don’t already have one, and you might want to get your ducks in a row in advance, so you don’t miss any of the fun.

Filed Under: Genealogy tips, General Tagged With: conferences, excitement, national archives, resources

Meeting cousins, visiting cemeteries

February 5, 2013 By Janine Adams 2 Comments

Ancestry Day badgeOne of the huge benefits of starting this blog is becoming acquainted with my mother’s first cousins, the children of my grandfather’s siblings. They’ve shared genealogy info and family photographs and have been welcoming and interesting people.

I’m very excited because I recently learned about the Midwest Genealogy Center’s Ancestry Day, a family-history conference that will be held in conjunction with Ancestry.com on March 16 in Blue Springs, Mo. That’s a 3+ hour drive for me from St. Louis, but I like a road trip, so I eagerly signed up.

What makes it more enticing is that my grandparents Crawford Brown and Susie Jeffries Brown, grew up in western Missouri and I’ve arranged to spend the afternoon with my cousin, Penny, and visit the cemeteries where my great grandparents (her grandparents), Arthur John Brown and Rhoda Wheeler Brown, are buried, in Milo, Missouri. I hope to visit her mother, my grandfather’s sister, who just celebrated her 99th birthday. In addition, I think we’ll go to Appleton City, where my grandfather grew up. Penny says that his picture (or perhaps it’s his brother’s picture) still hangs in Appleton City High School.

I have family on my grandmother’s side who are buried in Appleton City. I need to do a little digging to see if I can find exactly where, but according to my records (I’ve been really successful in finding death certificates for this little branch of the family), my great grandfather, Earl Jeffries and both his parents (John D. Jeffries and Susan Price Jeffries) AND his grandfather, Richard Anderson Jeffries (my great great great grandfather!) are buried in Appleton City . I’m very excited at the prospect of seeing all these gravestones. Perhaps I’ll find other family members graves there as well!

I’m very excited for a triple whammy that weekend: meeting cousins, visiting cemeteries, and going to a family-history conference. Life is good.

If you’re planning to attend Ancestry Day at the Midwest Genealogy Center, please post a note in the comments. I’d love to meet you!

Filed Under: My family Tagged With: Ancestry Day, Brown, conferences, excitement, Jeffries, Midwest Genealogy Center

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about me

I'm Janine Adams, a professional organizer and a genealogy enthusiast. I love doing family history research, but I find it's very easy for me to get overwhelmed and not know where to turn next. So I'm working hard to stay organized and feel in control as I grow my family tree.

In this blog, I share my discoveries and explorations, along with my organizing challenges (and solutions). I hope by sharing what I learn along the way I'll be able to help you stay focused and have fun while you do your research, too.

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Speaker Badge: Rootstech 2017

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