Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

Just registered for RootsTech!

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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!

Free National Archives virtual genealogy fair next week!

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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.

Meeting cousins, visiting cemeteries

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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!