FGS Conference early registration deadline

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences, Federation of Genealogical Societies, National Genealogical Society  Leave a comment

I just returned from several days in Charleston, South Carolina where I was attending the National Genealogical Society Conference. I lectured, shopped, learned, volunteered, networked, laughed, ate, slept a bit, and just basically enjoyed the time.

I am now staying home all summer getting ready for the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ 2011 conference that is this September 7-10 in nearby Springfield, Illinois. As full disclosure, I am a member of the board of directors of FGS and the co-chair of the 2011 FGS conference. If you live in the Midwest, this is such a perfect spot. It’s the Land of Lincoln and a great place for research and historical siteseeing. Added to that it’s an easy place to drive to!

The FGS Office reports that there are already people registered from four countries and the full conference registrations and special event interest is
growing. To attend this fun and educational event:

  • You do not have to be a member of any genealogical organization
  • If you do belong to a genealogical society that isn’t a member of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, you may still attend. (FGS does hope you take the membership info and some helpful suggestions back to your society, though!)
  • If you have even the slightest interest in genealogy, family history, community history, DNA, software, Abraham Lincoln, slave research, Twitter, 
  • or maybe you are interested in post-adoption research, photo restoration, Swedish research, writing your family history, Canadian border crossings, becoming certified, Swiss research, Ohio ancestry, Apps for the professional genealogist
  • Maybe you have roots in Ireland, Germany, Scotland, England, Missouri, or have Native American Ancestry
  • Love to browse and shop in a sold-out Exhibit Hall full of software demos, genealogy and history books and databases for sale, some genealogy gift ideas, historical and genealogical society booths, the National Archives, and even hotels in Salt Lake City
  • If you fit into any of the above interests, we hope to see you in Springfield in September
  • And if these are not your interests, we have many more sessions you will find helpful

Just  click here to see the full program and then look under the other topics to see what else is going on during the week of the conference. Full conference paid registrants just might win a trip for two to Salt Lake City for a “vacation” at the Family History Library, including airfare, meals, and copy cards. But you need to attend the FGS 35th anniversary celebration on Friday evening for that chance! Read the FGS Conference News Blog for these and many other details.

Update on Railroad Retirement Board records

Paula Stuart-Warren  National Archives, Railroads  Leave a comment

I emailed the National Archives Southeast Region in regard to access to the Railroad Retirement Board records mentioned in my earlier post and received this almost immediate reply:

“This is in reply to your inquiry regarding researching the records of the Railroad Retirement Board in person at the National Archives at Atlanta.  The simple answer is Yes.  However, we will need to screen the records first to make sure we do not release any personal information about living retirees or their dependents named in the files.  This screening can usually done in about 20 minutes.  It is best to notify us ahead of time so we can first, locate the file, and second, have it screened before arrival.  If we receive ‘drop-ins’ we do a quick
screening while the patron waits.

Thank you for inquiring about these records.  We have 54,000 cubic feet of these records equating to about 1.5 million files.  We are anxious to see them used.”

Thank you Rob Richards, Director of Archival Operations at NARA Atlanta!

My Hanley and Welch families and the Minnesota Genealogical Society in Winona

Paula Stuart-Warren  Ballyferriter, Hanley, Minnesota, Minnesota Genealogical Society, Walsh, Welch, Winona  Leave a comment

I am looking forward to being a part of the MGS all day meeting in Winona, Minnesota on June 25th. It’s the birthplace of my Grandpa Mike.

My maternal grandfather Maurice Michael Hanley was born there 12 September 1893. His parents were Michael Hanley and Johanna Welch/Walsh. Johanna was the sister of other Welch’s who came to Winona from the parish of Ballyferriter which is situated on the beautiful Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.

Among the families that some of these Welch siblings and others married into were Feiten, Hinds, McGrath, and Kellner.

Michael Hanley, the father of Maurice Michael (Grandpa Mike), was first married to Margaret Carney and they had six children. Michael and Johanna also had six children. Grandpa Mike’s sister Mabel Hanley Hewson was the one who gave me the family connections.

It will be my first time to present a lecture in Winona. The day has many other speakers. To see the full program, register for the day, and order your lunch, click here. The day is co-hosted by the Winona County Historical Society.

Railroad Retirement Board records moved to NARA Southeast

Paula Stuart-Warren  National Archives, Railroads  1 Comment

In his 3 May 2011, column Ken Thomas reports that the great records from the Railroad Retirement Board have been moved from Chicago to the National Archives Southeast Region in Morrow, Georgia. Morrow is just outside Atlanta.

This is FANTASTIC news. I will do some further checking to see if this means we are now able to personally view a file or have a professional researcher do that at NARA Southeast.

The Railroad Retirement Board was created in 1936 and has no records for workers who retired or died before 1937. If an ancestor still worked for or began service for a railroad after that date, there may be a file. To see if a file exists, it is best to have that person’s social security number. Other helpful details would be the complete name, the railroad(s) worked for, time period of employment, birth and death dates. Common surnames may need additional details. Recent files are not included.

The social security number generally begins with a 7 and may be found in some old records left by the worker. It is also likely you will find it on the official death record. I have files I obtained for two of my great granduncles and they were helpful with many genealogical details.

Read the NARA Southeast page on the RRB records by clicking here.

Read Ken’s full column in the Atlanta Journal Constitution by clicking here. 

New genealogical institute in 2012

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences/Institutes  1 Comment
NEW GENEALOGY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY IN 2012
Announcing The Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2011 – Pittsburgh, PA – GRIP – The Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh – a new genealogical institute of learning announces a genealogy educational opportunity planned for July 2012. Consisting of four courses, it will be held Monday, July 23 through Friday, July 27, 2012, at LaRoche College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. According to Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL, and Deborah Lichtner Deal, directors of GRIP, “the demand for in-depth genealogical education is so high that week-long courses sell out shortly after registration opens, disappointing many potential students. At the same time genealogists who have
taken many courses want new content.” GRIP seeks to satisfy this growing need for high quality genealogy education through its week-long courses with internationally recognized instructors.
Nestled in the Pittsburgh suburbs, LaRoche’s campus includes economical air-conditioned “en suite” dormaccommodations steps from the classrooms, a buffet-style cafeteria, and free parking. The instructors are all experienced researchers, lecturers, and writers who bring their expertise into the classroom with case studies and problem solving exercises. Registration will begin in February.
·         Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA. Warren focuses on unusual resources, manuscripts, methodology, and analyzing records. She researches across the U.S. and has coordinated and taught at multiple genealogical institutes and conferences. Warren serves on the Federation of Genealogical Societies board and is President of the Northland Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
·         Advanced Research Methods with Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS. Jones has edited the National Genealogical Society Quarterly since 2002. A former trustee and a past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, he works as a researcher, writer, editor, and educator. Jones coordinates courses at Samford University’s Institute on Genealogy and Historical Research, at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and he teaches in Boston University’s Genealogical Research Certificate program.
·         Beneath the Home Page: Problem Solving with Online Repositories with D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS. Taylor is Director of Education and Programs at New England Historic Genealogical Society, and has appeared on the television program “Who Do You Think You Are?” A frequent speaker at various venues, Taylor is a course coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. He is also Vice President of Administration for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), where he serves as co-chair of the FGS/ISGS 2011 National Conference.
·         German Genealogical Research with John T. Humphrey, CG. Humphrey is an award winning author who specializes in German and Pennsylvania research. In 2010 he was invited to give a presentation on researching Germans in America in the Rhineland-Palatinate; in 2008, at the request of the German Embassy, he presented the keynote address at the 400th Anniversary Celebration commemorating four centuries of German immigration into the United States. Humphrey is a past president of the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society and past vice president of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.
Read about it at www.GRIPitt.org. Watch for the full course outlines and instructors over the next few weeks.

200th anniversary of the Coppings leaving London

Paula Stuart-Warren  Copping, Rawdon  Leave a comment

Two Hundred years ago today, May 5th,1811, my ancestors left London and sailed for Canada on the SS “Lively.” George and Elizabeth (Saggers) Copping and the four children they had at that point arrived in Canada on July 2, 1811. The first lived in Quebec City, then Montreal, and lived out their lives in Rawdon, Montcalm County, Quebec, Canada. George kept a journal and portions survived. Today the remnants of his journal are on the McGill University (Monteal) website.

They added seven more children and among those was my Great Great Great Grandmother Clarinda Copping. Elizabeth was said to be Irish, George was a staunch Anglican. Several of their children and grandchildren married French-Canadian Catholics. George did not always speak favorably of the Irish or of the Catholics. 

FGS Conference Update

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

Just a quick reminder that the deadline for saving $50 off the conference price ends July 1st. It’s been ten years since FGS was in my part of the Midwest. I was co-chair then and am co-chair now. We have some wonderful lectures, workshops, special events. special discussion opportunities, and neat door prizes that we will begin telling you about very soon.

Check the FGS Conference News Blog to see the many recent posts including a way to get a refund of some of the registration fee by giving some volunteer time during the conference week.

My clone has not arrived: genealogy in high gear

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences/Institutes, National Genealogical Society, Seminars  6 Comments

Spring is always a busy time of the year. I didn’t help that by doing something to my left knee at at Minnesota Twins game on Easter Sunday. Didn’t break it but it decided to give out under me as I was walking down steps. Really quite comical but the pain wasn’t too funny. My oldest son and granddaughter had to come and pick me up since I could not walk, drop me at the emergency clinic, and leave for the airport to pick up their German exchange student. First time in my life I had to use crutches and was so thankful for them. Have now progressed to a cane, physical therapy, and am finally back to a somewhat normal schedule. That schedule has included several local area lectures and I have been getting ready for my May presentations.

May 7th: Austin [Texas] Genealogical Society Mini-Seminar. Click here for registration details.

  • Railroad Records and Railroad History: Methods for Tracking [yes, the pun is intended!]
  • Tho’ They Were Poor, They May Have Been Rich in Records
  • A Baker’s Dozen: Simple Ways to Write Your Family History 

May 7th, Federation of Genealogical Societies BlogTalk Radio “MySociety. at 1:00 p.m. CDT you can listen free on your computer to my fellow FGS board member Randy Whited and me discuss what it takes to put on a one day event, invite a speaker and discuss it from a speaker’s view in terms of booking, contract, travel, presenting etc. This weekly show is available by clicking here and then on the BlogTalk Radio logo or the term FGS Radio in the left hand column. Also watch the FGS website www.fgs.org and the Facebook page and other social media for future topics and access to archived episodes.

May 11-14th: National Genealogical Society Family History Conference, Charleston, South Carolina. Click here for the full program and other details. I will be doing these presentations:

  • Friday, May 13th, 2:30: Southern Deeds: More than Land
     
  • Saturday, May 14th, all day: Genealogy 101, Getting Started with Family History. I am presenting this day-long workshop with co-presenter D. Joshua Taylor. This has a separate extended handout and other neat info.

FamilySearch passes a great milestone

Paula Stuart-Warren  FamilySearch  Leave a comment

A press release this past Monday from FamilySearch was titled “How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Collections—600 to Be Exact!”

April 25, 2011

Latest Additions Reach New Milestone in Free Online Historic Record Collections

The latest additions to FamilySearch’s online collection of free historic record collections pushes it to 600! That’s right, 600 free, original source record collections online from all over the world. The tally of insomniacs will certainly expand as the numbers of family history researchers enjoy the latest updates. This week there are new international records from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Poland, and Spain. Now take a seat while the list of updates for the U.S. collections are noted—California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington State, Wisconsin, and the Virgin Islands. Whew! See the table below for details. You can search all of the record collections now for free at FamilySearch.org.

If you are enjoying the steady stream of free records added weekly, please consider “giving back” as a FamilySearch volunteer. You can start and stop volunteering at any time. Find out more at indexing.familysearch.org.

To see the full press release including a chart of the recent additions and updates click here.

Getting others involved in your genealogical society

Paula Stuart-Warren  Blog Talk Radio, Federation of Genealogical Societies  3 Comments

I really enjoyed listening to the Federation of Genealogical Societies first BlogTalkRadio show today. The theme was “Bringing Genealogy Societies into the 21st Century.” Today’s host Thomas MacEntee and guest Curt B. Witcher did a fantastic job with the show. I found myself nodding in agreement with what they said during the hour-long show.

Some posts in the chat room during that show focused on how to get others involved with the tasks of running a genealogical society. In many cases, it takes just some small steps. It may be a case where someone doesn’t really feel they are part of the organization or doesn’t know anyone. If you ask them to take over the Program Chair job or the Publications Committee if they have only been to a few meetings, you are likely to hear “no.”

Let’s look at some steps that may begin to get new folks involved. I think that once some people feel comfortable they will become more involved. One of the best things I ever did was to become involved in the
Minnesota Genealogical Society, some of its Branches, and with the National Genealogical Society,  Federation of Genealogical Societies, and some other groups. As I felt more familiar with them I agreed to take on some tasks. In retrospect that was a smart thing to do.

  • Do you have preregistration for society meetings and seminars? Look at the list of those registered and email them to ask if they would arrive about 15 minutes earlier than the doors open. For those without email, use a postcard! They could be your greeters. If the weather is decent one could stand outside, smile, and welcome folks. The person or persons inside could direct them to the registration table and to where the lectures will be held.
     
  • Ask others to help direct people to open seats in the sessions. Assure them they can reserve their own seat ahead of time and won’t have to miss anything.
     
  • Ask others to keep any eye out for the neatness of the refreshment table. Do napkins, cups, or other items need to be replaced? Are there spills to be mopped up? They won’t have to miss the sessions, but will be giving valuable service. Maybe in a few months, they would be willing to take over more (or at least a part) of the setup of this table.
     
  • Speaking of registration and refreshments, do folks then just go in the room to wait for the lecture? Why not have a few tables and chairs for them to sit and talk. This lets people meet each other. You could have a few board members in this area to begin some chats.
     
  • No one on your society’s board seems to think it’s a smart idea for your society to have a blog or an electronic newsletter? How about a fifteen minute PowerPoint presentation at the next board and committee meetings showing some of the great ones that are out there?
     
  • People in your society not comfortable with a computer? See if a local library has classes or perhaps the local senior center does. Let you members know about these. Perhaps your society could have a few computer and getting to know the Internet sessions before or after your monthly meeting.
  • When your meeting starts does the person that first speaks introduce him or herself? Then do they welcome those there for the first time?
  • Does it appear that one or more of these helpers at a meeting are quite competent and outgoing? Ask them to help with other short-terms tasks. 
  • Do you have team building events? It could be as simple as getting together at an area cafe, coffee shop, or having a picnic with no other agenda. 
  • Does your organization have some committees that don’t involve large time commitments? Maybe a couple hours a month. Start people off on these committees. 
  • Are your board members identified as such? Do they mingle at meetings? Designate at least 2-3 board members to do this. They can talk with people one-on-one. Ask about their research, let them know about the next big event, or just be there to talk. 
  • At one or multiple day events, have a drawing to see who gets to sit with your main or other speakers at lunch. Board members are not eligible! Make it a table of 4, 6, or 8.
     
  • Having door prize drawings? Have some of the newer folks help distribute these as the tickets are drawn.
     
  • Do you have a new member orientation? Do you honor your volunteers?  
  • Don’t just ask them if they know HTML, are a whiz at databases, know how to run the microphone system or are great at signage. Task board members with learning such things in the midst of other conversations. 
  • Pair new volunteers with a season volunteer. That helps in learning the ropes and also means the new person will get to know someone else!

These are just some tips to help people feel more comfortable with your organization. THEN you can ask them to be more involved. We are almost through April which is National Volunteer Month. Did you honor your group’s volunteers?

Didn’t listen to today’s show or want to listen again? It’s free and the archived edition is at  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2011/04/23/bringing-genealogy-societies-into-the-21st-century.
The next show is Saturday, April 30th at 1:00 p.m. CDT. That means 2:00 EDT, Noon MDT, and 11:00 a.m. PDT. For those of you outside the U.S. just google time zones or time zone converters to figure out when the show airs in your time zone. I will let you know about future radio shows and the new FGS webinars that debut next Saturday.


(Disclosure: I am a members of the Board of Directors of FGS and am also on the committee developing and overseeing the radio show and webinars. I am not compensated for either of these volunteer jobs.)