Fantastic genealogy grant for students 18-23 is available!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences, Conferences/Institutes, Jamboree  2 Comments
This news release was received from the Southern California Genealogical Society today. I have met some of the past winners at the SCGS Jamboree and they are great as is Denise Levenick.

The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant Committee and the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree are pleased to announce the 2016 Student Grant and Jamboree Scholarship. Student genealogists between the ages of 18 and 23 are eligible to apply for the $500 cash award and full registration scholarship for the 2016 SCGS Jamboree to be held in Burbank, California June 3-5, 2016.

The Student Grant was established in 2010 by family and friends in memory of Suzanne Winsor Freeman, family historian and life-long volunteer, and an enthusiastic annual attendee at the SCGS Jamboree. The 2016 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree sponsored by the Southern California Genealogical Society will provide a full conference registration to the SCGS Jamboree in June where the award will be presented. This is a unique opportunity for a young genealogist to attend a premiere regional conference and meet genealogists from throughout the nation.

Past recipients include Elyse Doerflinger (Lomita, California), A.C. Ivory (Salt Lake City, Utah), Anthony Ray (Palmdale, California), Michael Savoca (Toms River, New Jersey), and Paul Woodbury (Provo, Utah).

“The Student Genealogy Grant pays tribute to Suzanne Freeman’s dedication to youth volunteerism and family history by awarding the annual cash grant to a young genealogist attending the SCGS Annual Genealogy Jamboree, Southern California’s premiere regional genealogy conference,” notes Denise Levenick, committee chair and Freeman’s daughter.

“We are especially grateful to Jamboree for providing a three-day conference registration to the grant recipient,” she adds. “SCGS is truly a leader in conference organizations by encouraging youth involvement in genealogy through the student conference scholarship.”

Born in Olathe, Kansas, Suzanne Winsor (Brown) Freeman moved to Orange County, California with her family in the early 1930s where she attended school and lived most of her life. She developed a strong interest in family history sparked by the stories of her mother’s early life in Colorado and Kansas. After retirement Suzanne moved to Green Valley, Arizona where she was active in the local genealogy society. She enjoyed returning to Southern California each year in June to attend the SCGS Jamboree. Suzanne passed away after a brief illness in Tucson, Arizona August 28, 2010.

The $500 cash award pays tribute to these interests by awarding the annual cash grant to a young genealogist attending the Jamboree. In addition, a student scholarship for conference registration to the Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree will be provided by the Jamboree conference.

Any genealogist who is between the ages of 18 and 23 as of June 2, 2016 and a current student (full-time or part-time) is eligible to apply. The award will be presented at the Jamboree Scholarship Breakfast Sunday, June 5, 2016; the recipient must be present to receive the award. See the Grant Application for eligibility details.

Funding for the cash award is provided by the family grant program; Jamboree registration is provided by the conference. Individual contributions to the grant program are welcome at the Student Grant Webpage.

Application deadline is March 20, 2016 midnight Pacific Daylight Time.

Application details and forms are available at the Student Grant Webpage   http://www.thefamilycurator.com/swf-grant. Suzanne Winsor Freeman’s Obituary is available here.

 

Registration begins TODAY for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences/Institutes, Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, GRIP  1 Comment

TODAY, Wednesday, February 10, at Noon EST is when registration opens for the first week (June 26-July 1) of the 2016 Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh.  GRIP takes place at LaRoche College in Pittsburgh.

Then, on Wednesday, March 2, noon EST, registration opens for the second week of GRIP (July 17-22). This is the week that includes the course I coordinate, “Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper” and this year the hands-on work is expanding. In this course only, students will be able to submit one of their family history research issues for discussion and direction on what to do next.

Survey the several courses offered during each week, read the helpful details on the registration page, and get your computer ready for Noon today for the first week.  Early registration and tuition payment gives you a $25.00 savings.  http://www.gripitt.org/

 

It’s Grandpa Stuart! Thank you, Ancestry.com

Paula Stuart-Warren  Ancestry.com, Railroads, Slaker, Stuart  Leave a comment

I knew that more records from the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway and the Chicago and North Western Railroad were coming to Ancestry.com. Many years ago I had obtained information on great granduncles Louis Frederick Slaker and Frederick Slaker. At that time the Chicago and North Western Railroad Historical Society folks were not able to find a record for my Grandfather Earl James Stuart. Grandpa retired from the “Omaha” and thus I was disappointed.

Today I checked the New and Updated records at Ancestry. I access these via my home page on Ancestry.  I clicked on this railroad collection and did a search. THERE HE WAS!

Stuart, EJ rr

That’s his signature. I would recognize it anywhere. My Dad (his son) had a very similar signature. I believe Grandpa’s father’s given and middle names are reversed. Grandpa’s Social Security number begins with the 700 series, which signifies a Railroad Retirement Board number. For more on these numbers see here.

For those of you who want to check this collection, here’s the full citation from Ancestry:

Ancestry.com. U.S., Chicago and North Western Railroad Employment Records, 1935-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. Original data: Chicago and North Western Railroad Employee Records. Chicago & North Western Historical Society, Berwyn, Illinois. Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway Employee Records. Chicago & North Western Historical Society, Berwyn, Illinois.

If you have an Ancestry membership, click here to search in this collection.

Pittsburgh, Burbank, Rapid City, Springfield, Tacoma, Jamaica, and other places: Are you ready?

Paula Stuart-Warren  Ancestry, Conferences, Conferences/Institutes, Webinars  Leave a comment

Creating and updating PowerPoint slides and handouts and then presenting at classes, institutes, conferences, and seminars is a time intensive endeavor. I strive to find record examples that pertain to place where I will be presenting the lecture. It’s a bit more difficult when doing a webinar that will be viewed by people around the world.

Doing all this brings me a certain sense of accomplishment. I feel good when I find just the right images for the presentation. When the audience ooh and ahs at something, I know I did it right! When they laugh at the points where I hoped they would, I also smile. When I hear from someone with a thank-you for the presentation or that they took my advice and found great grandpa, I am thrilled.  That’s why I keep doing this part of my genealogy business.

This year my presentations booked so far take me to Salt Lake City, Utah; Green Bay, Wisconsin; River Falls, Wisconsin; Mason, Ohio (Cincinnati area); Burbank, California; Tacoma, Washington; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Springfield, Illinois; Rapid City, South Dakota; and on a genealogy cruise to Texas, Mexico, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and Costa Rica. Via several webinars and Ancestry Academy courses, I will be transported across the world.

Could I add more places to my speaking calendar? Of course, it’s a joy to meet audiences everywhere.

My updated speaking calendar is here.

 

 

Findmypast adds largest collection of US marriages!

Paula Stuart-Warren  findmypast.com, Vital records  Leave a comment

The news release was received today from Findmypast.com

“We’re excited to announce the release of the largest online collection of US marriages in history, which when complete will include over 100 million records covering 360 years.

60 per cent of these records have never been published online before offering you the chance to discover your US ancestors at such a pivotal moment in their lives. And, from today you can start by searching over 33 million records, giving you the chance to grow your family tree even more.”

I did some checking for the less common surnames in my extended family. I found nothing for Hanley in Minnesota so those have not been added. I found on Slaker marriage I didn’t have. For the Copping name there were no entries. The lack of these is easily explained and it means I will have to keep checking!

“This collection contains all the United States marriage records that are currently on Findmypast. The records date from the 17th century to the 20th century. Records will continue to be added to this collection as they are obtained. There are both images and transcripts in this collection; however, some records only provide a transcript. Various marriage record types are included: applications, licenses, certificates, intentions to marry, registers, bonds, and affidavits. Based on the type of record and where it was created, the amount of available information will vary.”

p.s. The initial batch of 33 million records is free until February 15th.

 

Ancestry.com and RootsMagic: a new pairing

Paula Stuart-Warren  Ancestry.com, RootsMagic  Leave a comment

This was received today from the team at RootsMagic. I am slowly transitioning from The Master Genealogist to RootsMagic. I am a big advocate of RootsMagic because of the attention given to its users. It’s up to the user as to whether to use the synchronization when it is ready. The press release:

Recently, the genealogy world was rocked with the news that Ancestry would be parting with their “Family Tree Maker” (FTM) genealogy software. Thousands of FTM users have since made the switch to RootsMagic. But the question everyone has been asking has been, “Will any other software be able to search and synchronize with Ancestry the same way that Family Tree Maker does?”

Today, we finally have an answer to that question- “Yes!” We’re pleased to announce that we have partnered with Ancestry to bring these features to RootsMagic in the near future.

What does this mean for you?

  1. Search – RootsMagic will be the first and currently only software besides FTM to search Ancestry’s extensive collections of historical records from around the world and let you download those records into your own file.
  2. Sync – RootsMagic will be the first and currently only software besides FTM to let you share data between your RootsMagic files on your computer with your personal Ancestry online trees. You’ll also be able to download people, events, and even pictures from Ancestry onto your computer through RootsMagic.
  3. Import – RootsMagic will be able to directly import your Family Tree Maker files, without having to go through an intermediate GEDCOM file, giving you the cleanest, most complete transfer of your data. RootsMagic will also be able to download your online trees from Ancestry.

Yes, this is big news and we’re sure you have many questions about it: (more…)

Findmypast posts new records. The Copping names are drawing me.

Paula Stuart-Warren  Copping, findmypast.com  2 Comments

Each Friday, Findmypast releases new or updated records. One of this week’s entries is the “Greater London Burial Index: Locate the final resting place of your Middlesex ancestors.” I immediately checked this for one of my surnames, Copping. Great, there are 33 entries. That’s exciting. It’s also dreadful as I have genealogy work deadlines but maybe next week I can explore those entries. I. Am. Tempted.

You may be more interested in the added material for Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. Check out the Findmypast blog for details on these and the burial database.

 

Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh registration is getting closer!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences/Institutes, Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, GRIP  Leave a comment

The next institute for me is the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP). GRIP is held at LaRoche College in northern Pittsburgh. Sunday evening is check-in and classes run from Monday through noon on Friday each of the two weeks that courses are offered.  This institute has a dorm, classrooms, and cafeteria just steps away from each other. PLUS free parking if you drive. Driving means bringing more things to be comfortable in the dorm and to do some sightseeing and research before and after the institute week.

June 26-July 1, 2016
Registration for the June 26, 2016, courses begins in less than four weeks on February 10 at noon EST. The six courses for that week will be available at that time through the Countdown Timer page which will automatically go to the registration system at the appointed hour–no need to hit refresh! This is for the June courses only as the July 17 courses will have registration open three weeks later.
July 17-22, 2016
Then on March 2, registration opens for the July 17th week of GRIP with another six courses. That’s the week I will be coordinating and teaching the Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper.

Click on that title for details and the class lineup. Debbie Mieszala, CG, and Josh Taylor, MA, MLS will once again be instructors. In May each registrant for my course will receive an email with more information, some packing tips, and details on submitting one of your “research issues” for possible class discussion and research suggestions. Many research problems have been solved via these class discussions.

Between now and the registration dates,  think about which courses you are interested in taking and ask your friends which they might be interested in. “Summer camp for genealogists” is always more fun with friends whether you come with people you know or meet new friends during the week! Staying in the dorm is fun and that is where you will find me. Don’t forget it is a dorm and not a five star hotel!

Ancestry Academy courses: expert info on timelines, pensions, Native Americans, and more

Paula Stuart-Warren  African American, Ancestry.com, Native American  Leave a comment

The number of course offerings at Ancestry Academy continues to grow.  The categories and how many courses in each are listed below.

  • Ancestry Products (14) Includes many areas of what Ancestry has to offer.
  • Records (14) Includes early censuses, military pension applications, and the 1940 census!
  • Methodology and Skills (8) Includes timelines obituaries, and resources in public libraries.
  • Localities and Ethnic Research (6) Includes African-American, French-Canadian, and my course “Native American Ancestry? Steps to Learn More.”
  • Coming Soon (8) These are in the final editing stages. One in this series that I filmed is “The Lure of the Train Whistle: Researching Railroad Workers.” It is accompanied by an extensive handout.

Each course can be viewed whenever you have time.  Need to stop for a bit? Do that and return to where you left off. Most courses have a great handout and a self-test at the end. The lineup of instructors includes knowledgeable people from the U. S. and Canada. View all the courses offered by clicking here.

The cost? Some are free. For others you can view as many as you wish in one month for just $11.99. Click here for other pricing plans.

Genealogy Press Releases from my inbox

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  Leave a comment

While I was in Salt Lake City the last two weeks, I accomplished significant client research and taught intermediate genealogy for a week at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Now I am catching up on emails and press releases that arrived during that time.  The following are excerpts from those.

 

RootsMagic eBook Now Available

“We’ve had a lot of requests for an electronic version of our RootsMagic book, and it’s finally here.  The regular price of the RootsMagic PDF eBook will be $14.95, but for a limited time we are going to offer it at an introductory price of $4.95.”

To order the RootsMagic PDF eBook, visit: http://rootsmagic.com/Store/RootsMagic-Book/

and select the “PDF E-Book (Download Only)” option.  You’ll receive an email with the information to download the book.  I did the download and it is simple to do. This book is helpful for those new to RootsMagic and also for those  already familiar with RM.

 

Preserve the Pensions reaches milestone
The $2 million dollar mark has been surpassed in 2015 with the support of fantastic donors in the fundraising efforts to digitize the 7.2 million pension images for the 180,000 pensioners of the War of 1812. In the Federation of Genealogical Societies, Preserve the Pensions project, images for the pensioners from A-M are already on Fold3.com and are free to everyone. We can’t be complacent though. We need to continue raising the funds to complete the project. Ancestry.com generously matches the donations. Read more details on the FGS Voice blog.

 

Findmypast is having a free weekend!
Findmypast Announces Free Weekend 22-25 January 2016 with free access to billions of historical records and newspapers from all over the world.  Billions of records available to everyone to search for free! Local subscribers granted World access, and World subscribers enjoy 3 days added to their subscription. From 7am EST on Friday, January 22nd to 7am on Monday, January 25th EST absolutely everyone will have access to Findmypast’s comprehensive collections of historical records and innovative research tools, but not including the 1939 Register and UK electoral rolls) and almost 13 million newspaper pages available for the whole world to view at no cost, without a subscription. Full details are here.