The following is part of a press release received from the National Genealogical Society:

“Millions of Americans hunger to connect with their roots, and there’s no better way to start than by attending a four-day event packed with experts and family history hobbyists with the same goal. The National Genealogical Society, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, announces its 31st Family History Conference to be held at the Raleigh, North Carolina Convention Center 13-16 May 2009.

This premier event features more than 160 exciting educational sessions and workshops by many of the top names in family history research from North Carolina and around the nation. The variety of topics—from beginner workshops, to understanding and using DNA testing for family history, to finding resources for Native American, African-American, Scots-Irish, and other ethnic groups, to complex problem-solving, and more—provide tools for everyone from the merely curious to those who aspire to become credentialed or professional genealogists.

A bonus of the conference is the exhibit hall filled with software, books, and myriad genealogy-related products, where attendees can meet their favorite authors and genealogists. Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org are sponsoring many informative sessions that focus on effectively using their websites to find family connections. Optional luncheons and dinners provide opportunities for breaking bread with like-minded family history enthusiasts while learning from entertaining speakers. Conference-goers might choose a luncheon featuring a favorite speaker or support a meal sponsored by an organization such as the local host North Carolina Genealogical Society or the New England Historic Genealogical Society or the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

To see the entire exciting program, pre-conference events such as a free African-American Genealogy Forum on 12 May, and registration details, visit www.ngsgenealogy.org/conferences“

Before each Conference, The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) receives requests inquiring if there are other conference registrants looking for a roommate. It’s a great way to share costs. The 2009 Conference is in Little Rock, Arkansas from September 2-5 and the local host is the Arkansas Genealogical Society.

FGS will provide contact information (via e-mail) to those seeking a possible roommate at one of the Little Rock conference hotels. Roberta (Bobbi) King, a FGS Board member from Colorado, is once again providing this free service.

Bobbi and FGS will not be doing the actual roommate matching; that contact and decision is up to the individuals seeking a roommate.

To be a part of this service, all you have to do is e-mail your request to Bobbi and provide details including your name, state/province, e-mail address, telephone number, and some details about the type of roommate you are seeking. This would include such things as smoker/non-smoker, late or early to bed and to rise, arrival and departure days, whether or not you have already booked a room, male or female roommate preference, and any other requirements or information you feel you should provide such as snorer, light sleeper, need room totally dark, has TV on or off most of the time, etc.

The information you provide will not be posted online. It will only be shared with others seeking a roommate. Once you make a match, please let Bobbi know so that she can remove your name from the list.

To contact Bobbi: [email protected]

I will be presenting a lecture titled “Baker’s Dozen: Easy Ways to Begin Writing Your Family History” on Saturday, March 21st at the Swedish Genealogical Society of Minnesota‘s Quarterly Meeting. This lecture demonstrates ways to get that writing started without becoming overwhelmed. It includes ideas for sharing family history with family members who otherwise might groan. They might not even realize you are indoctrinating them into the fascinating history of their ancestors. If you use several of the “Easy Ways” over a year or two, your end result will be that much of your family history is in some sort of print that can easily be modified for a larger publication.

The meeting takes place from 1:00 – 4 p.m. at the Minnesota Genealogical Society Auditorium at 1185 Concord Street North, South St. Paul. Click here for a map. The library is open that day from 10:00 – 4:00. Free parking is next to the building.

If you would like to attend the meeting, the Society asks for a donation of a few dollars or so to cover expenses such as room rental, coffee and cookies, speaker fees, etc.

In just one month, I will be presenting four lectures at the Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society’s Spring Conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan. To learn more and register for the event click here. These are the lectures:

NUCMC and its Cousins: Keys to Lost Ancestral Records: One of the important aids since 1962 is the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections and its modern cousins. Where might Great Aunt Sadie’s diary be today? Where are the records of the circuit rider who traversed Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan located? Frequently, genealogists think that there may be no records for part of the family. However, there may be substantial information buried away in a manuscript collection.

Tho’They Were Poor, They May Have Been Rich in Records: So many researchers put up artificial brick walls because their ancestors weren’t land owners, were perennial renters staying one step ahead of the bill collector, or didn’t leave behind a ten page will listing all the children. Our poorer relatives are traceable and this lecture will show helpful records.

Organizing Your Genealogical Materials: How tall are the stacks of your genealogical materials and in how many rooms are your papers and books stored? This lecture will help you organize sensibly and give tips to keep you on top of your organization.

Finding Ancestral Places of Origin: Still looking for great-grandma or grandpa’s place of origin, and it wasn’t under the apple tree? Where in Sweden was Aunt Lily born? This lecture shares records and research strategies which may help you identify that place.

It’s an easy drive from many cities: Kalamazoo is only 95 miles from Ann Arbor; 61 Lansing; 117 Racine WI; 54 South Bend, IN; 111 Toledo, OH; 121 Dearborn MI; 86 Chicago; 132 Elkhart, IN; 86 Fort Wayne. I hope to see you there.

There’s no record. All the records are gone. No one knows what happened to it. Don’t give up — something may turn up. An article in the Maine Antique Digest tells the story of auctions of major collections of New Jersey and Pennsylvania artifacts, memorabilia, maps, manuscripts and official records.

One amazing purchase at a 2005 auction was on behalf of the New Jersey State Archives. This was a collection of 17th century New Jersey records that had been in private hands for 300 years. For more details on the collection, finding aids, and an article about it from the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (September 2005) check out the state archives page on the Proprietors and Adventures: A Rediscovery of Colonial New Jersey.

Many items pertained to Benjamin Franklin, Western history, family history, Lewis & Clark, Indian affairs, printing history and that’s just a small portion of the items auctioned off. Be sure to read the article. One reality will sink in and that would be the fact that some of the purchases were made by private collectors. Maybe one day they will sell or donate the items.

I have had several inquiries wondering what happened to my columns in the Ancestry Weekly Journal/Ancestry 24/7 Family History Circle. In December, Ancestry decided to take the writing of the columns “in house” and change the focus. This meant that all of us doing the writing for our excellent editor, Julianna Smith, were let go. That was not an easy task for her.

I am still writing regularly for Ancestry Magazine and FGS Forum and occasionally for other genealogical publications. s

I received a press release from Footnote.com that lists some of the recent new and updated content. Footnote is a subscription database with images that are indexed and digitized. I have discovered some wonderful items via Footnote. Not for my own family, but for clients and for my niece. Some of the new content is in conjunction with Black History month which is celebrated every February. The press release ended with these intriguing words, “Big content announcement coming soon!”

So, I sat and stared at the emailed press release and politely shouted: TELL ME! But, I will just have to wait like everybody else.

What’s New on Footnote.com:

On Thursday, February 19th, The Copenhagen Post Online reported that the Danish National Archives has received a grant to create a historical digital atlas of Denmark. This geographic gem will have data as early as the mid 16oos. The project is scheduled to last three years and has several partners as detailed in the article.

The project end result will be “an internet-based GIS (geographic information system) map” with a database of cultural, historical and geographical information. AND it will be free. I am looking forward to this.

My Danish ancestors were mainly in Barritskov[by] in the county of Vejle and my great grandfather [Niels] Christian Carlsen arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota in the early 1880s. His parents were caretakers of a poor farm for many years in Denmark and died there. His brothers also migrated to the U.S. Soren is a mystery, but Alfred’s family is still going strong. My cousin Nancy descends from that branch and her late Aunt Anne Carlsen was an amazing woman. I haven’t updated my work on this family for many years. One of these days I will get back to my own research instead of doing it for the families of others – but that is what pays the bills and I love doing it.

Chris Carlsen married my Swedish Great Grandmother Betsy Pehrsdatter. He was one of the founders of a Swedish Methodist Church, now known as Arlington Hills United Methodist Church now located just over the St. Paul border into Maplewood. The original location was on Case Avenue near Payne avenue and several blocks from what is still known as Swede Hollow.