In my 18th year of genealogy blogging

Paula Stuart-Warren  Blogs  , ,  10 Comments

June 2, 2007. The day I began my own blog. Before that, I had been blogging about publicity for some Federation of Genealogical Societies conferences. Today starts the 18th year of my own blogging.

My own blog has had its productive times and then some down times when I am extra busy with my research clients and working on upcoming presentations. Work is good and pays the rent and groceries. At this time, I am extra busy working on my PowerPoint slides for the 14 sessions I am teaching in 3 weeks for the 2024 Virtual GRIP Genealogy Institute. Ihttps://grip.ngsgenealogy.org/#1#schedule. I Coordinate the Digging Deeper course and teach in that, and the Farming and Midwest courses. I love the preparation, but it does take time and sometimes the blog suffers.

On this blog, I try to share information on websites, sales, upcoming events, new indexes, databases, and some cool things I find online and in repositories. Occasionally I’ll cover a bit of my own family history.

That’s where I am today. Adding some photos and records from my own family to those presentations. I don’t have too much of my family in those presentations, but I found an old picture of me at 10 years old using the old water pump on a family member’s farm. I have some family records interwoven in other sessions I will be doing. We never stop learning and sharing.

4 weeks till the start of virtual genealogy course “Digging Deeper: Records, Tools, and Skills.

Paula Stuart-Warren  GRIP, Institutes  , ,  Leave a comment

As I do each year, I have heard from prospective students for the GRIP Genealogy Institute course “Digging Deeper: Records, Tools, and Skills. No, it’s not a basic level course. Yes, even novice genealogists can learn a lot, but if you have a bit more experience, you will become a better researcher and have a boatload of knowledge, skills, and records to investigate. We have so much to share!

While the other instructors and I work on new and updated syllabus materials and the presentation slides, we share with each other about what we see in and for the course.

Debbie said, “they will learn more than they already know.” I agree and I already learned about a couple new to me newspaper sites just from her syllabus section on that. Not only in that session, but throughout the week I always hear the “I didn’t know that” during discussions with the students.

We are a unique team of instructors and don’t provide the usual approaches to our varied sessions that really do flow together.

Debbie’s session on “Legal Savvy for the Genealogist” provides some hands-on activities that reinforce the process. That makes it stick in student’s brains along with the syllabus section reminders. She only teaches this topic for Digging Deeper.

Amy is happy that Cari is presenting about PERSI and shares that it’s an under-utilized resource where genealogists can find incredible information. Amy told me she recently did some research at a state archive. “I found some cool documents that I will share as never-seen-before examples of what genealogists can find in state archives and state historical societies.” Oh, I am looking forward to learning what she found for us and how she found them.

Cari will also explore probate records with the class, which are more than just wills and estates. “We will look at guardianships, apprenticeships, and other probate records.”

Every time I am investigating a website, I do some deep searching but maybe not deep enough? Cyndi’s session on “The Hidden Web: Digging Deeper” is tempting me with one part of the description “We will also talk about the importance of indexes that deep-link into websites online.” I’m ready! We do continue to learn.

For me, I love my Monday sessions about analyzing records and more, drafting a research plan, and what I call “Collaborative Genealogy.” The outcome of these two sessions and related work during the week highlight some additional help that might be close than you realize.

We do have some student spaces not yet reserved. Check the GRIP Genealogy Institute page for the course to learn more about the sessions and to find out who Amy, Cari, Cyndi, and Debbie really are under the Faculty tab.

NEW Saint Paul, Minnesota newspaper titles on GenealogyBank!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Newspapers  , ,  Leave a comment

Big news for Minnesota and Saint Paul researchers. Finally, some additional years of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and Saint Paul Dispatch online. In a future post I will add more on the changing titles of Saint Paul newspapers but for now here’s this recent update from GenealogyBank. Update: check under Minnesota and then Saint Paul and St. Paul for all titles.


This is the Minnesota section of the listing of new and additional pages for newspapers state by state.



Read more about the new and updated newspapers on the GenealogyBank blog at https://blog.genealogybank.com/huge-may-addition-genealogybank-just-added-new-content-from-346-titles.html

May 28 Genealogy Quick Start TV

Paula Stuart-Warren  Education  ,  Leave a comment

Join me the evening of May 28, 2024 as a guest on Genealogy Quick Start TV. Free on YouTube and Facebook.

“Welcome to our community. We look forward to interacting live at 8:00 PM ET, every other Tuesday, as we multicast to Facebook and YouTube. Producer and host Shamele Jordon has the pleasure to be joined by internationally known genealogists/authors James M. Beidler and Michael John Neill, aka “Double Trouble”. GENEALOGY QUICK START is a 60-minute TV program providing the steps needed to begin researching your ancestry. We will explore hot topics with professional and everyday people researching family history. We will focus on the fun and creativity involved in uncovering our past. Topics include online research, records, DNA, and much more.

I’ve known Shamele, Jim, and Michael for many years and all because we have been volunteers working on genealogy conferences. Jim and I also served together on the Board of Directors of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. We all love education, giving back to our organizations, and believe in fun, too! Genealogy research is serious, exciting, and brings tears and laughter, sometimes within the same few minutes!



GRIP Genealogy Institute Virtual Week is soon. Some seats are still available

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  , ,  Leave a comment

Syllabus sections all turned in and from what I have seen, there are a lot of reminders, tips, images, charts, websites, and published material. My PowerPoint presentations are in the fine tuning stage.

Still time to join us June 23-28, 2024 for some amazing education, sharing, networking, and some laughter, too. Weeklong Virtual Courses. GRIP Genealogy Institute. I will be participating in the three courses listed below. Some “seats” are still open for Digging Deeper and Migrations. Farmers is full. More course details session by sessionis online at https://grip.ngsgenealogy.org/. You can join us from your desk, couch, or kitchen table.

  • Digging Deeper: Records, Tools, and Skills (Intermediate level course. Coordinator and instructor)
  • Not Just Farmers: Records, Relationships, and the Reality of Their Lives (Instructor)
  • Midwest Family History Research: Migrations and Sources (Instructor)

Old Baltimore love letters with family history found in the wall.

Paula Stuart-Warren  Newspapers  ,  2 Comments

Articles that tell stories like this make me smile at how wonderfu it is for the descendants. They also make me wish for such a discovery for my own family history.

The article goes into additional details that tell things the descendants did not know before the letters were found. https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/culture/lifestyle/historical-baltimore-love-letters-mystery-RKCCYFVDJFF4NHFI4SNRZYYGNM

Free National Archives Genealogy Series

Paula Stuart-Warren  Education, National Archives, Uncategorized  ,  1 Comment

I love press releases like this from a few days ago. I plan to watch some and unfortunately have a couple conflicts on dates. I will later watch them on YouTube. The National Archives channel there already has extensive presentations and short videos. https://www.youtube.com/usnationalarchives



National Archives kicks off annual online Genealogy Series for May, June 2024

Participate in our free genealogy series!

WHAT: Join our National Archives experts as they present sessions during our annual online Genealogy Series on YouTube. This educational series will teach you how to use federal resources at the National Archives for genealogical research. Sessions are intended for beginners to experienced family historians—all are welcome! 

Lecture schedule, topic descriptions, videos, and handouts are available at the 2024 Genealogy Series web page.  

 WHEN: May & June 2024—all sessions take place on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. ET

  • May 21 Welcome from Dr. Colleen Shogan, Archivist of the United States; Passport Records: Passport Applications at the National Archives, 1790s–1925 
  • May 28 After Their Service: Tracing the Lives of Native American Army Scouts​ 
  • June 4 Captured German Records Related to American Prisoners of War During World War II 
  • June 18 Alien Files (A-Files): Researching Immigrant Ancestors at the National Archives 
  • June 25 World War II Enemy Alien Records Related to Japanese Americans at the National Archives; Closing Remarks 

WHO: National Archives experts in government records will broadcast from facilities nationwide.

  • Claire Kluskens, Subject Matter Expert for Genealogy and Census Related Records and an archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC
  • Cody White, Subject Matter Expert for Native American Related Records and an archivist at the National Archives at Denver, CO
  • Rachael Salyer, Subject Matter Expert in Modern Military Records and an archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD
  • Elizabeth Burnes, Subject Matter Expert for Immigrant Related Records and an archivist at the National Archives at Kansas City, MO
  • David Castillo, archives specialist at the National Archives at College Park, MD 
  • Ruth Chan, Subject Matter Expert for Asian American and Pacific Islander Related Records and an archivist at the National Archives at San Francisco, CA 
  • Katharine Seitz, archives specialist at the National Archives in Washington, DC

WHERE: The series will be broadcast on the U.S. National Archives YouTube channel. 

HOW: Watch the broadcasts on YouTube. Participants can watch individual sessions, ask questions, and interact with presenters and other family historians. No need to register—just click the links on the schedule to view the sessions! Videos and handouts will remain available after the event. For more details, go to the 2024 Genealogy Series web page.

  • Captioning is available; just select the CC icon at the bottom of the YouTube video. 
  • Transcripts are available; send a request to KYR@nara.gov. If you require an alternative or additional accommodation for the event, please email KYR@nara.gov.



 

Genealogy instructor busy season.

Paula Stuart-Warren  Education, Uncategorized  , ,  Leave a comment

I haven’t posted much this month. Like other instructors preparing for institutes, webinars, conferences, and seminars, it has been a busy month. The lilac photo is for my late maternal grandmother. Giving her a bouquet for Mother’s Day was our tradition. I miss her and my lilac bushes. Just seeing this picture shouts spring at me.


In the first 13 days of May, I have prepared 107 pages of syllabus and handout material. Seven were brand new presentations. The others needed to be updated, tweaked, and added to. In addition to that, the PowerPoint presentation slides needed to be created, updated, edited, tweaked, and a few were “dang it, that really shows my main points.” Oh, and I presented two webinars. 13 days was not all it takes to prepare those pages. It represents years of research, education, thinking, and developing.

All that was combined with work on a large legal document for a client that had a recent deadline.

I will be back to blogging, catching up on work for my other clients, and maybe a few hours of just reading something totally fluffy! There is also a Minnesota Twins baseball game in my future. One of my great grandson’s games, too. My grandnephew’s high school graduation party is soon. Much of yesterday was spent with my daughter and her children, then a lengthy conversation with my oldest son. Whether or not it is Mother’s Day, family is important. I am blessed to have family by blood and by choice. That includes my fellow family historians.

Now, go say something kind to someone in your sphere or hug them, do something good for yourself, and don’t forget to then catch up on the ever-updating world of genealogy education.



MyHeritage adds NYC vital records and indexes

Paula Stuart-Warren  DNA, MyHeritage, Vital records  , , ,  Leave a comment

37.4 million records for New York City. MyHeritage is the only genealogy company that hosts the index for these records with scanned images, even names of witnesses and parents are indexed. I found some entries I need to research more, but am pretty sure where they fit in.

You can search the collections here:

Search New York City Births, 1866–1909 on MyHeritage

Search New York City Marriages, 1866–1949 on MyHeritage

Search New York City Deaths, 1866–1948 on MyHeritage

Many more details on the MyHeritage Blog.

p.s. The Mother’s Day DNA sale is still on. $39 for the test kit plus shipping unless you order two or more.