Budget Choices in Life and in Family History

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences/Institutes, Research trips  7 Comments

I was just looking at my budget. My car will be paid for in December. Might I be able to finally get a new TV? No, I think I need to use that “extra” money to catch up on some other bills. After how lousy last winter was here, I really wish I could afford some vacation time in a warmer area in the first couple months of 2012. Budget says it’s not going to happen.

And then there’s the food budget — I have been dreaming of lobster recently but that’s not a part of the grocery budget right now.

It’s the same way in our family history research and education. I would like to order a whole bunch of birth and death records for members of the extended ancestral family. A genealogy cruise would be so nice. So would attending an institute that I am not teaching at. And then there are all the neat conferences. My bucket list includes onsite research in Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and a long list of U.S. states. Choices have to be made.

Think about that last paragraph as far as your own family history. We aren’t the only one who can’t attend everything. When we do attend, we might be sharing a room with 1-3 roommates to cut costs. We bring along
granola bars for some meals.

For our own continuing education we can’t forget programs put on at our home area historical and genealogical societies and even at public libraries. We can take part in online webinars and discussions. Yet, there’s still something that draws our hearts and minds to the bigger events like institutes, conferences, and to places like Washington DC, Fort Wayne, and Salt Lake City for research. It’s the camaraderie in those settings that draw me as well as the education.

Just like a family saves for a vacation, that new TV, or to replace the ten year old vehicle, we need to have our genealogy savings fund. Maybe it’s a few less lunches or dinners out each month, or telling relatives that we don’t need another sweater, tie, or scarf but would appreciate a gift towards that conference, institute,or library visit. I have a jar into which I put all my loose change and then take that to the bank before trips.

If you still have young children at home, maybe someone could give you a gift of taking care of them for a few days. I know many genealogists who care for elderly parents. Some respite care would be nice even if it’s only for some local area research time.Can’t get away this year or next? Education will still be there the year after that. When you can finally go to the event in 2012 or 2013 there will be others who can’t go in those years.

Choices are not easy. Family history is not easy. But we need to work to make choices and preparation that help our family history knowledge and progress. Off my Thursday afternoon soapbox!

Join me in St. Cloud this weekend!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences  3 Comments

The St. Cloud Area Genealogists (SCAG) and the Stearns History Museum are hosting a Family History Month event this Saturday, October 15th. The second annual Family History Conference takes place this Saturday, October 15th at the museum from 8:00 a.m. – Noon.

“Robert Torborg will present “Old Family Photos: Their Care and Safety” and Paula Stuart-Warren will lead a program titled “A Baker’s Dozen: Easy Ways to Begin Writing Your Family History.” 

Click here to read the full notice in the St. Cloud Times.

For directions visit the Stearns History Museum website. To reserve your seat, call the Museum at 320.253.8424. The cost is $10.00 for Museum or SCAG members and $15.00 for non-members.

See you there!

FGS election results!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Federation of Genealogical Societies, FGS  Leave a comment


October 12, 2011 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces the results of its recent election for FGS board members and directors. The election was conducted online September 1 – 30, 2011 with all FGS delegates eligible to vote. Office terms for those elected will begin on January 1, 2012. With the recent election results, Pat Oxley, President of FGS states, “I’m thrilled to have this talented group of genealogists bring their experience and skills to the FGS board.”

Re-Elected FGS Board Members: The following board members and directors were re-elected:

·       George G. Morgan (Florida) – Vice-President Membership
·       Curt D. Witcher (Indiana) – Vice-President Development
·       Loretto “Lou” Szucs (Illinois) – Director

New FGS Board Members: The following board members and directors were newly elected:

·       Kim Kasprzyk (Illinois) – Treasurer
·       Polly FitzGerald Kimmitt CG℠ (Massachusetts) – Director
·       Angela Walton-Raji (Maryland) – Director
·       Randy Whited* (Texas) – Director

*Whited was first appointed to the FGS board as a Director in early 2011 and elected outright in this recent election.

I am privileged to serve on the board with these fine colleagues.

Genealogy Bloggers: A chance to win a free SLIG registration

Paula Stuart-Warren  Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, SLIG  Leave a comment

Are you a genealogy community blogger? That’s step one. Would you like a chance to win free tuition for a course at the 2012 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy that is held each January in Salt Lake City? It’s easy — you just need to write a blog post and place the link in a specific place to be eligible. Sound too simple? That’s the thing, it is simple. You just have to write about why you want to attend and which of the open courses you would choose. SLIG is a fun and educational week. I have been a part of SLIG for many years. Don’t forget the Family History Library with all those microfilms, fiche, books, computers, databases and more is there, too. The 2012 SLIG dates are January 23-27. Onsite registration, syllabus pick-up, and a reception are held the evening of Sunday, January 22nd.

The Utah Genealogical Association’s blog carries the contest details. Click here to read them all. Here are  a few points from their post.

“The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy is excited to announce our first ever blogging contest. We believe that SLIG is one of the best educational opportunities available for genealogists—and we want to hear why you think so to. For the next week we would like to encourage all the fantastic bloggers in the genealogy community to let us know why you would like to attend SLIG. The contest will run through Saturday, October 15, 2011 at midnight (Mountain Time). The prize will be a tuition waver to SLIG 2012 (note that only those classes which haven’t filled are eligible).
How do I enter?

Step 1: Write 500 words or more on the topic of why you want to attend SLIG. Include which course you would like to take, and whether you have attended before. Please include the link www.slig.ugagenealogy.org when referring to SLIG’s website.”

Tour Landmark Center, St. Paul

Paula Stuart-Warren  St. Paul, Tours  Leave a comment

Oh, I wish I could take part in this free tour in downtown St. Paul. Landmark Center is a beautiful old federal courthouse building that today houses various offices and cultural entities including the Ramsey County Historical Society.

“Nooks and Crannies
Come to the Landmark Center, St. Paul, for a Nooks and Crannies tour, Sunday October 9, 2011, 1 p.m. See areas usually closed to the public, including the legendary North Tower. Free.”

For more tours, classes, and other events check the October 5th issue of the Local History News from the Minnesota Historical Society. Click here to read it.

Civil War era National Cemeteries

Paula Stuart-Warren  Cemeteries, Civil War  Leave a comment

The National Park Service has a website page that lists “Civil War Era National Cemeteries: Honoring Those Who Served.” The listing is by state and includes sites designated as national cemeteries. Click here to learn more about each site. This does not represent all cemeteries where Civil War related burials took place.

For more listings in National Cemeteries and others see Nationwide Gravesite Locator. As that site says, “Search for burial locations of veterans and their family members in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of Interior cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker. . . Information on veterans buried in private cemeteries was collected for the purpose of furnishing government grave markers, and we do not have information available for [those] burials prior to 1997.”

Many states also have listing online or off that include veterans burials. During the WPA (Works Progress Administration) era of the late 1930s and early 1940s some lists of veterans burials were compiled.

Check these examples for more details. Read the information included with each to learn more about the parameters of the listings. Most clearly state that the details are not comprehensive. These sites do not all have online databases. Other states include Florida, Iowa, and South Dakota. Other places where WPA workers compiled lists of burials did not produce separate veterans and civilian records.

Also check Findagrave.com, Interment.net, and other compilation websites for other veterans burials. 

Dublin, Ireland libraries: architectural treasures

Paula Stuart-Warren  Libraries  Leave a comment

If you love books of any kind and the buildings that house them, then you want to read this Washington Post article from Friday, September 30th. Yes, you may just look at the pictures but the accompanying story is as superb. Now I want/need to go to Dublin for another reason beyond family history research.

I love the treasures that these buildings themselves are. The architecture, the plaster work, the artwork on walls and ceilings, and the lovely old wooden tables are just some of what draws me in to the “feeling” of being a perfect place for old books.

October is Family History Month

Paula Stuart-Warren  Family History Month  Leave a comment

Isn’t every month? Many libraries, historical societies, archives, and genealogical societies celebrate Family History Month each October with special events. What are you doing for Family History Month? I urge you to do something this month to honor the importance of family history. Need a few prompts? Here they are:

  • Now’s the time to write a short biography of a favorite ancestor. Don’t forget to include the sources of the details you write about. You will probably be starting a task list of more research to do as you compile this biography.
  • Schedule a few days this month or parts of days to work on your collection of photos (both in the overstuffed drawer and on your computer).
  • Talk to a family member about some aspect of family history. It might be one of the photos you rediscovered or the bio you wrote. Maybe it’s asking a few questions about their memories of a deceased relative. 
  • Visit at least one courthouse, archive, or genealogy library to do some research or at least learn more about the place.
  • Visit at least one subscription and one no charge online genealogy site that you haven’t checked in a while. There may be something new to discover. 
  • Don’t know what some of the abbreviations are in this post? It’s a good month to learn.
  • Read a guidebook. A book printed on paper. A how-to do genealogy guidebook. Make notes on things you want to research as you are reminded of them during the reading.
  • What can you do to help others continue to learn about family history? Maybe volunteer to do something for your area genealogical society?
  • Take out your calendar or open up the one on your computer
    • Add upcoming genealogical meetings, conferences, and seminars to it. Look at SLIG, RootsTech, NGS, NIGR, IGHR, GRIP, FGS, and others
    • Look for upcoming webinars to add to it.
    • See what your local historical or genealogical society is offering during October. Maybe it’s a lunchtime lecture, a tour, or special class.

Next month I will let you know what I did during Family History Month.

Sacramento Archives Crawl

Paula Stuart-Warren  Archives  Leave a comment

What a great idea. Tomorrow, Saturday October 1, 2011, the archival community in Sacramento, California is sponsoring the free Sacramento Archives Crawl. This is a neat opportunity that appeared in my news feed from the Sacramento Bee newspaper. “Four historical organizations are partnering in the crawl and include the California State Archives, California State Library, The Central Library, and the Center for Sacramento History.” The public gets to see a lot of behind the scenes activity. Free parking is provided, too.



For more details check out this blog: http://www.sacarchivescrawl.blogspot.com/

I have heard of art crawls and similar things for a group of bars and restaurants. Love that it’s occurring in the area of history. Wish I was going to be in Sacramento tomorrow. I have researched at three of these places but would love to see more behind the scenes.