Catching up on email, cleaning house, and GRIP still feels exhilarating.

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  ,  1 Comment

I recently posted on Facebook and here about the great week instructing in my course for GRIP. Of course, my 31 students were the best group in all courses! I didnt do all the presentations myself. Cyndi Ingle, Debbie Mieszala, and Cari Taplin did fantastic ones. Lois Mackin was our course’s tech host. 

A week-long genealogy educational institute is work, joyful, camaraderie, laughs, sharing, and not to be missed. It’s also a mounting disaster for your living space. Doesn’t matter if you are the instructor as I was this past week for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, a student, a tech host, the tech goddess, or the directors. I probably shouldn’t speak for others, but the dishes piled up in the sink, the dishwasher wanted to be unloaded, the floor had crumbs, laundry pile grew, and the bathroom said it’s been a few days since you cleaned me. I did the sweeping on Friday, went to a ball game yesterday, and today was cleaning day. Ahhhh.

This morning I came up with the word I needed to describe this past week with the students in my course. That word is exhilarating. I’ve done this for 11 years with GRIP and can’t wait to do it again next June. My course “Digging Deeper” will be virtual again.

I have some mighty patient research clients and need to get back to them, answer a ton of emails, and spend some time with family members. Blogging will need to do some catching up, too.

 

Genealogy overload but Looking forward to GRIP 2023!

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It’s been a month since I posted on here and I have many reasons why. Nothing bad or sad, just lots of work deadlines, some good family stuff, and my own birthday that passed without any celebration due to that work. In the past week alone, I have done 15 virtual presentations. Each presentation involves creation or updating of the handout material and the PowerPoint presentation. Some take several days for this and that has been preceded by extensive research. None of the above sentences is meant as a complaint because I love all this. 

In June, I was an instructor during the June week of the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) in a course coordinated by Cari Taplin, CG. This past week I have been the coordinator and an instructor in my own GRIP course “Digging Deeper.” The 31 students were amazing as was our course tech person, Lois Mackin. Cyndi Ingle, Debbie Mieszala, and Cari Taplin each presented some great sessions in the course. Debbie Deal and Elissa Salise Powell are the ever-working GRIP directors. Cyndi Ingle was the main tech guru for GRIP, and she kept us going all week. I can’t begin to show enough thanks to each of them. 

I am not checking my calendar to see when my next virtual presentation occurs. It’s rest and family time for a week.  Guess what!  I have signed a contract to coordinate my GRIP course virtually the week of 18-13 June 2023. All the GRIP scheduled courses are in the image below. 

Genealogy websites and updates

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  ,  1 Comment

I love reading about the updated and new collections on genealogy websites. Then I rejoice at the searchable and indexed collections news. Today’s news from MyHeritage’s Daniel Horowitz states 

“I’m excited to tell you that during April and May, MyHeritage added 1.3 billion historical records in 37 collections from all around the world. These records are from the U.S., the U.K., Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, and Ukraine, and they include birth, marriage, death, military, census, newspaper records, and more. Many of the collections include high-quality images alongside the indexes. With this update, the total number of historical records on MyHeritage has now reached 18.2 billion.”

Read the details on their blog https://blog.myheritage.com/2022/06/historical-record-collections-added-in-april-and-may-2022/?

While you are reading their blog, I will be checking some of the new and updated records.

A researcher’s commentary on the value of librarians and archivists!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  ,  4 Comments

An 8 June newspaper article in the StarTribune that has a connection to my 9 June post seems appropriate to share. It’s not from a genealogist, but David R. Smith, the author, did research that resembles what we do. Once again, it shows the connection with history and genealogy. 

His commentary “In Praise of Librarians and Archivists” tells about his research journey and the assistance he received along the way. What would we do if the librarians, archivists, and other repository staff wasn’t there to assist us!

After you read his commentary, be sure to read the comments. I had many thoughts I wanted to share but stopped myself before I posted some strong words. He just educated people on the value and some truly don’t get it! We have fellow genealogists who don’t get it either. Copyright, costs and time to digitize, and the vastness of the material in libraries, historical societies, and archives makes the librarians and archivists invaluable. Added to that is the knowledge and experience they possess!

https://www.startribune.com/in-praise-of-librarians-and-archivists/600180439/?refresh=true

My 2022 genealogy presentations calendar has been updated

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    4 Comments

I have added some presentations that will take place this fall and updated some that were previously noted as TBA. I don’t publicize the titles and presentation host until a contract is signed. 

Let me know if your genealogical, civic, historical, or other organization is interested in having me present one or more topics on a virtual basis. Click on the Speaking tab of this website for contact details. 

E-mail me about my availability for your event date. I have a several page Speaker Packet with details on numerous topics, experience, specific details, fees, and how I can help you promote your event. That packet can be sent via an email attachment.

 

International Archives Day

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Today, June 9, is International Archives Day and this is International Archives Week.

My early days of family and community history research were spent at the Minnesota State Archives. Then it was at a one-story building off Interstate 35E in Saint Paul. Today it’s part of the Minnesota History Center in downtown Saint Paul. Those days were well before online websites, catalogs, material descriptions, digitized material, and other helpful historical information.

Those early days introduced me to a wealth of finding aids for the records held in the building. I remember browsing the books section that held published archives books on records held at various archives beyond Minnesota. Some were from archives beyond the United States.

In the U.S., many state archives hold only local, county, and state government material, others hold records of businesses, organizations, and individuals. County and regional archives also hold a varying array of material.

College and university archives hold material related to the institution and many are combined with special collections with records from businesses, organizations, and individuals. Religious archives often have records from the denomination, individual churches, and some have records from the clergy and other individuals. Some have fantastic biographical material on such individuals. Some businesses have their own archives. County historical societies are another resource.

The U.S. National Archives in Washington, DC, and its regional locations around the country also hold my reverence. I’ve spent many weeks at some of these facilities pouring over original records that are not online. The websites only tell part of the reasons why original research is so vital. I drool while reviewing the Library and Archives Canada website. 

Much of the material is not described online and some is not covered even minimally online. What is digitized or indexed online on an archives’ website or on our genealogy websites is only a small part of what awaits our discovery.

Be sure to thank those who keep these various archives operating, gathering, and preserving historical materials, and describing them so we know where to research. In general, these are not lucrative jobs!

Before this day ends, check out the website of the archives of a county, state, province, country, or religious entity that has a probable connection to your own ancestral family. See what you have been missing in your research journey. Learn what is online and what needs to be researched by an in-person visit. I guarantee you’ll need at least a few days to visit each.

Several archives to get you started:

 

 

 

FamilySearch Research Wiki reaches 100,000 articles!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized    2 Comments

A FamilySearch press release from today tells the story. I highly recommend that the FamilySearch Research Wiki becomes an integral part of your research plan. 

“The FamilySearch Wiki published its 100,000th genealogical research article. The free online reference tool helps answer many common questions you might have when searching for ancestors in historical records worldwide. Each wiki article is written and updated by research specialists at the FamilySearch Family History Library and from the global genealogical community. The FamilySearch Wiki content continues to grow by about 100 articles per day. Check it out now at FamilySearch.org/wiki.”

I make use of it most days in my work. It’s a great way to learn more about records in FamilySearch and other places that deal with cities, counties, states, provinces, and countries. Then there are the pages for topics like naturalization, passenger records, vital records, and tons of others. It’s not merely a recitation of available records but also includes learning about the process.

The full press release is here https://www.familysearch.org/en/newsroom/familysearch-wiki-publishes-100000th-article

 

 

Updated Census Helper™ from MyHeritage includes many countries

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From Daniel Horowitz at MyHeritage “on the eve of the release of the 1950 U.S. Census, MyHeritage launched a super useful tool to help get you started with your census research: Census Helper™. . . It now includes censuses from all over the world, not just from the U.S.; its algorithms got smarter, providing more precise results; and its interface was improved, including the addition of sorting and filtering capabilities — making it easier and more convenient than ever to methodically research your family in census records from across the globe. Census Helper™ now includes nationwide censuses from the United States, Canada, England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Denmark, and Norway.”

All these aids to finding our families in censuses are amazing and this one is free! I have some more people to find!

Read more about it on the MyHeritage Blog. 

 

DeadFred. A free place for lost and found photos.

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Have you heard of DeadFred? It’s a cool website and Facebook page for searching our lost family history in photos. We can contribute photos and also search for what others have contributed. We might find a missing photo of a relative. Even better, it is free. I have known about DeadFred for many years because the man who spearheads this site is located in beautiful Northwest Arkansas which is the birthplace of my late father-in-law. The wonderful creator of DeadFred, Joe Bott, shared this history:

“Once upon a time” actually the seeds were planted in 1965 when I was in the Navy I started collecting vintage photos , fast forward to now and I have accumulated over 27,000 vintage photos mostly through donations, some from yard sales, junk shops, antique stores and the trash that people find and send. DeadFred began in 1998 and since then has reunited over 3,000 ancestors photos to relatives. There is no cost. DeadFred is a free website and sends the found photos (that are owned by DeadFred) home free. Anyone can copy photos to their hard drive for private use. We run DeadFred on donations and google ads. Volunteer/Associates Amanda Shertzer, Daniel Lawson, & Jeannette Balleza Collins help maintain the site while I do the scanning, correspondence and speak at genealogy societies meetings. Presently we are recruiting volunteers to help scan photos as we have over 14,000 in queue waiting to be scanned and posted to the Archive.

Our soul mission is to reunite ancestors’ photos with their families, we do not focus on profits which we have not had since we started. Although keeping enough in the piggy bank to ward off problems would be a welcome new event, DeadFred spreads awareness via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.”

Did you note the word donations? Scroll down on every page for the donate button. 

Who was Fred? https://deadfred.com/fred_05.php

DeadFred website https://deadfred.com/

MEET THE FREDS!
We had our quarterly get together at a local eatery in Fayetteville Arkansas. Coming up with mind bending great things for you in the future. Daniel our Digital & Design guru is on the left, Jeannette our Brilliant Scribe/PR /Person who keeps all of us front & center on his right, Amanda Our Cornerstone Code Poet, and Framer of Dead Fred’s original database Joe (aka Deadfred) Shaggy bearded guy behind Amanda. Just wanted to know who’s who on Fred. But last and not least there’s YOU who tell us how wonderful we are which causes us to go out to buy new bigger sized hats for our heads expanding. Thank you.

 

 

Register now for the 2022 Virtual Celtic Connections Conference!

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Summertime for me means The Celtic Connections Conference that is offered every two years. In 2022 I can learn virtually as I sit in my air-conditioned office. I am also doing one presentation.

The following paragraphs are from the CCC website. The Celtic Connections Conference (CCC) was founded in 2014 by The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA) and the Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI).  Held every two years, the conference brings together well-known international and domestic speakers who present on Irish, Scots-Irish, Scottish, and Welsh topics. 

The conference tracks:

  • Researching the Celtic Diaspora: Learn about the scattering of Celtic peoples across the globe
  • Emigration and Immigration Patterns: Explore where ancestors came from and where they went
  • Unique Research Resources: Look into distinctive and often overlooked resources
  • DNA: Identify new strategies for using DNA
  • Methodologies: Explore approaches to help you on your journey home
  • Case Studies:
    • Discover how to apply new developments and techniques in Irish genealogy

Register soon to take full advantage! http://www.celtic-connections.org/