I love statistics. Maybe I should attribute that to my German ancestors? The International German Genealogy Partnership’s (IGGP), inaugural International Germanic Genealogy Conference is already full of statistics and other numbers. The Minnesota based Germanic Genealogy Society (GGS) is the local host and is assisted by great volunteers from all over the U.S. and beyond. I hope you will join us in Minnesota this summer.

• 2.5 months till it begins (July 28-30) which means you can still register!
• 2 hotels are already full but others are waiting for you and a shuttle will be available
• Already registrants from 34 states and 4 countries other than the U.S.
• 40 speakers
• 6 luncheons and a banquet, all with great speakers
• 1 Biergarten event at Germanic American Institute (GAI) in my hometown of Saint Paul. Music, networking, and music on Summit Avenue, the avenue of spectacular mansions.
• 23 organizations are members of this global partnership
• Museums, historical sites, shopping, and more await you in the 32d state which just celebrated 159 years of statehood
• 17.9 miles. I knew you would ask. The conference site is that far from my apartment. I will not be making an airline reservation.
• 4 more bulleted items for you or your non-genealogist companions:
  • our Minnesota Twins are out of town that weekend, but the Minnesota United, our major league soccer team is in town that Saturday night.
  • We have the Mall of America which is a gigantic shopping mall with more than 400 stores, employing close to 12000 people. Between 35 to 40 million visits yearly to shop, dine, and visit the amusement park.
  • We have 2 big zoos, the huge Valleyfair amusement park, and lakes by the thousands
  • Come early, stay after to make use of numerous great research facilities
• Register now and be sure to add conference meals by the end of June!

In case you haven’t seen the news on social media this week, here’s the big number from Ancestry DNA:

Ancestry has surpassed 4 million customers in our DNA database!

We’re proud to remain the largest consumer genetic testing company. Here are some fun facts about AncestryDNA:

• From January to April 2017, AncestryDNA genotyped 1 million people. So, on average about two people took a DNA test every time there was a marriage in the United States.
• With 4 million members, the AncestryDNA network would be the 2nd largest city in the United States based on population just after NYC.
• The AncestryDNA database grew from 3 to 4 million in the last three months. That’s about as fast as babies are born in the United States.

Are you part of this 4 million? Several members of my family are with more to come!

The follows is from a Findmypast press release.

From Thursday 27th April until 1st May 2017, over 1.9 billion birth marriage, death &  census records will be completely free to search and explore at Findmypast

This includes 595 million UK BMDs, the largest collection available online, over 80 million exclusive parish records you won’t find anywhere else, over 13 million Catholic Sacramental Registers covering England, Ireland, Scotland & the US, and over 168 million United States Marriages

Findmypast is encouraging fledgling family historians to start their journey of discovery by providing five days of free access to their entire collection of birth, marriage, death and census records. From 09:00 BST, 27th April until 23:00 BST, May 1st 2017, all record matches on Findmypast Family trees and the 1.9 billion records they cover will be completely free to view and explore.

By providing free access to these essential beginner records, Findmypast aims to help budding genealogists start building their family tree and discover new ancestors through their records. Researchers will also be provided with daily getting started guides, expert insights and useful how-to blogs over the course of the free access period. A free webinar entitled “Start Your Family History Journey” will also be broadcast at 4pm BST, Friday April 28th.

For the next five days, all visitors to Findmypast will be able to access all of the following records for free;

·         Over 595 million UK birth, marriages & death records including exclusive parish collections

·         The Catholic Heritage Archive – a rich archive of over 13 million baptisms, marriages, burials & Sacramental registers from Ireland, Scotland, Westminster, Birmingham and Philadelphia – only available on Findmypast (more…)

One of my own favorite presentations is “The Farmer in the Dell . . . and in Many U.S. Records.” I tell about many resources related to finding the history of farm families and the farm itself. Many more resources than most people realize!

I saw a news post about a Farm Oral History Project that was described in a university newspaper yesterday. The Royal Purple is the student newspaper at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. A few excerpts from the article:

“The Wisconsin Farms Oral History Project is a project born from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Public History program. It is now a statewide initiative that began in 2012 and is making headway with uncovering much of our state’s rich agricultural history.”

“The ultimate goals of the project are to prompt conversation and collaboration while building a large collection of stories and artifacts that would capture Wisconsin’s large history of farming, community and culture.”

Some of my own ancestors resided in counties near the university. The Area Research Center (ARC) at UW Whitewater is a fabulous place to research family that resided in Jefferson, Rock, and Walworth counties.

The full article is here.

It’s time. National DNA Day (April 25) s getting closer and the great testing companies are beginning the sales. Check the websites below for details as they unfold over the next few days.

The National Institutes of Health is responsible for this designation.  “The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives.”

Ancestry DNA

FamilyTree DNA

MyHeritage

23andMe

It’s all so 21st Century complete with its own hashtag #DNADay17

Gotta run, time to convince some more family members to test.

That’s tomorrow, Thursday, April 20th, 2o17.

I will be doing my presentation, Research Reports for Ourselves: More than a Research Log for the St. Croix Valley Genealogical Society. Please join us as all are welcome. Details at the end of this post.

I emphasis the importance of writing up a research report while researching and completing it after you have completed a research task. I will explain the key points to include. If you hired someone to do research for you, you would want to know exactly what sources they checked. Was it books, volumes, files, or microfilm, and was it at the courthouse, library, or elsewhere? Did they search an index or view the records page by page? Now think about your own research ventures. Are you noting the same details about your quest? Reporting to yourself on the analysis and research is not as daunting a task as some researchers think. As an added benefit, this self-reporting makes it easier when you eventually write your award-winning family history, blog post, or genealogical society article. Many examples show the variety of research report formats.

The SCVGS meetings are held the third Thursday of each month, September through May starting at 7:00 p.m. and are held in the River Falls Public Library.  There are also wonderful treats and a time to visit with others. I enjoy the time spent with this group and those in attendance.

From 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. SCVGS members will be available to help others with genealogy research questions.

The River Falls Public Library is a beautifully designed building at 140 Union Street, at the corner of Union and Main Streets. Main Street is also Wisconsin State Highway 35. Turn east on Union Street beside the library and go to the parking lot behind the building where there is ample parking. The handicapped accessible meeting room is on the main floor just inside the doors.

If you haven’t heard yet, this Friday Legacy Family Tree Webinars will be celebrating webinar #500. What does that mean for family historians all over the world? FREE access from Friday to Sunday. The entire webinar library is open for Free Access Weekend, April 14-16.

No special link, no credit card needed, or anything other than simply visiting FamilyTreeWebinars.com anytime between Friday and Sunday for free access to the videos in the library.

After you enjoy some of the 500 presentations why not subscribe to partake of those you don’t get to this weekend! Then you can “attend” my upcoming presentations. Sign up while on the Legacy Webinars website.

June 7, Wednesday: Researching Your Minnesota Ancestors (2:00pm EDT, 1:00pm Central, 12:00pm Mountain, 11:00am Pacific). You can eat lunch while you watch and listen. I won’t be able to hear you chewing!

October 25, Wednesday: Midwestern & Plains States Level Census Records  (2: 00pm Eastern, 1:00pm Central, 12:00pm Mountain, 11:00am Pacific)

All those times are Daylight Saving times.

Registration is live today! FGS conferences are always full of education, shopping, and fun. I know I will see you there! The following is from today’s FGS Press Release.

Online registration is now open for the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ 2017 National Conference. 

The conference will be held August 30 – September 2, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA. This year’s local host is the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society and the theme is “Building Bridges to the Past.” Register by July 1, 2017 for the early-bird discount at FGSConference.org.

Attendees can look forward to strengthening their research abilities no matter their skill level or area of interest. The program is available online at http://www.FGSConference.org. An 8-page pdf download is also available at http://fgs.org/upload/files/FGS2017-ProgramPreview.pdf.

Rorey Cathcart, FGS President, shares, “FGS Conferences offer genealogists of all skill levels an incredible learning opportunity as well as a chance to meet others who share their passion. Whether you are beginning your genealogy adventure or have been at it for decades, FGS welcomes all. With a day devoted to programming for society leaders and members, followed by three days of genealogy programming that features world-famous speakers, exciting workshops, a variety of special events and luncheons, FGS 2017 has something unique to interest all attendees. Don’t miss your chance to join the Federation for a fun-filled and informative experience in Pittsburgh!”

Conference Highlights

Keynote Speaker

Rick Sebak makes unusual television programs. His slightly wacky documentaries now celebrate various aspects of modern American life and the unexpected charms of Pittsburgh. In “Take the Unexpected Bridge,” he will explore the idea that when searching for information of any sort, from historic and genealogical to gastronomic and adventurous, often the best route is along unfamiliar roads and across unexpected bridges.

Conference Sessions

Learning opportunities abound in the FGS 2017 program. The program includes four full days of sessions, workshops, and interactive seminars. Learning tracks include Immigrant/Ethnic, Records, Regional, DNA, Methodology, Analysis, Skills, African American, Land & Taxes, Religion, Occupations, and more. Attendees of all skill levels will find new ways to uncover more about their family history.

Exhibit Hall

The large exhibit hall will feature the latest software, books, maps, databases, and gadgets on the market for family historians. Many genealogical organizations will be present to share information as well. Society Showcase will feature representatives of FGS Member Societies to share how their society can help attendees with their family history.

Special Events

Wednesday evening’s event is sponsored and hosted by Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. Registrants are invited to a dinner cruise along Pittsburgh’s three rivers on board the Gateway Clipper Princess. Friday and Saturday evening offer a special treat for baseball fans. FGS is partnering with the Pittsburgh Pirates to offer discounted tickets for games against the Cincinnati Reds.

Focus on Societies

Wednesday, August 30 is Focus on Societies Day. Sessions are jam-packed with ideas and tools to help societies promote themselves, develop projects, increase membership, and leverage technology. D. Joshua Taylor will kick off the day with the plenary session. He will discuss ways to package genealogical societies for non-genealogical partners, including local media, donors, charitable organizations, and politicians.

Librarians’ Day

Tuesday, August 29, is the pre-conference event sponsored by ProQuest. Librarians, archivists, and other information professionals won’t want to miss this event. It will be a full day of sessions focused on serving family history researchers.

Sponsors

Platinum sponsors include leading family history companies Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage. Bronze sponsors include AncestryProGenealogists and Internet Genealogy/Your Genealogy Today. For the complete list of sponsors and partner organizations, visit https://www.fgsconference.org/exhibits/sponsors/.

Also visit the conference website at http://www.FGSConference.org for details including links to conference hotels, research opportunities, and more. Keep up with conference news and announcements by reading the FGS Voice blog at http://voice.fgs.org and by subscribing to the FGS Voice Newsletter at http://fgs.org/cpage.php?pt=71.

Learn More and Stay Connected

Like FGS at https://www.facebook.com/FGSgenealogy.

Follow FGS on Twitter at https://twitter.com/fgsgenealogy and hashtag #FGS2017.

Visit Pittsburgh at https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/.

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and empowers the genealogical and family history community, especially its societies and organizations, by advocating for the preservation and access of records and providing resources that enable genealogical organizations to succeed in pursuing their missions. FGS helps genealogical societies and family history enthusiasts alike to strengthen and grow through online resources, FGS FORUM magazine, and through its annual national conference which provides four days of excellent learning opportunities for both societies and family history enthusiasts. To learn more about FGS visit fgs.org. To learn more about the next annual conference to be held in Springfield, Illinois, visit fgsconference.org. Also, find FGS on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FGSgenealogy, on Twitter @FGSgenealogy and on the FGS Voice blog at http://voice.fgs.org.