Registration Savings on North Star Genealogy Conference in Minnesota

Paula Stuart-Warren  Conferences/Institutes, DNA  Leave a comment

Sunday, September 7th is the last day to register and save money on the 2014 North Star Conference. This is the Minnesota Genealogical Society’s annual conference. The featured speaker for 2014 is Judy Russell, JD, CGSM , CGLSM , who is known as The Legal Genealogist.  Judy will present four lectures during the October 3-4 event. Several other speakers will also present sessions, including some woman named PaulaStuart-Warren.

Lunch is included in the registration price, and each attendee will receive tickets for door prize drawings. The location is Colonial Church in Edina, a Minneapolis suburb. The church  has plenty of parking and free Wi-Fi.

The full conference brochure is here. Register on the MGS website http://mngs.org/

On Thursday evening, October 2, MGS and the DNA Interest Group host Judy Russell for “DNA Goes Genderless.” This requires a separate registration.Visit http://mngs.org/ for details.

Judy’s description of this presentation: “Until 2010, genealogists could only use DNA to help prove ancestry if they could find sons of sons of a male ancestor or daughters of daughters of a female ancestor to test against each other. With the advent of autosomal DNA testing, DNA has gone genderless: it’s now possible to test a male descendant of a man or woman against a female descendant. Learn more about this exciting addition to the toolkit of 21st century genealogists.”

My first great grandchild on Labor Day!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Family  Leave a comment

It will always be a special family joke that my first granddaughter gave birth to my first great grandchild on Labor Day!

Lucas arrived this morning. I feel giddy. I had no trouble sleeping through it all. I had the phone on silent and slept 12 hours upon my return from the FGS genealogy conference in San Antonio. I woke up to many missed phone calls and text messages. Those messages included photos of Mommy, Daddy, and Baby. Then I opened Facebook to see the first photo had already been posted there by the Daddy. I had instructed her that the baby could not arrive while I was out of town. She waited!

I am guessing my granddaughter won’t be working at the paying job on Labor Day.  However, this was a much better paying Labor Day for her. 

I have added the details to RootsMagic already. That’s a genealogy software program that I have started to use. I know that family who read this won’t know what that means. What an honor to add the newest generation.

So anxious to see and hold the latest addition to our family.

Next up: FGS Conference in San Antonio

Paula Stuart-Warren  Ancestry.com, Federation of Genealogical Societies  Leave a comment

I have a two week break from presentations right now but I have plenty to keep me busy and earning a living.

Next up on my travel schedule is the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in San Antonio, Texas from August 27-30. I have given up editing and writing the conference blog but it still exists and is filled with helpful information that you need in advance of this event that will draw people from all over the U.S. and from some other countries. Click here to view the conference information and to read the blog. Be sure to save time for the Exhibit Hall!

Juliana Smith has written a post on Ancestry.com’s blog that reinforces the benefits of attending such conferences along with many tips that will help you prepare for the upcoming FGS conference. Click here to read her excellent post.

Update on stolen Chaska Moravian Church Records

Paula Stuart-Warren  Church records  Leave a comment

A few days ago I blogged about the volumes of records being stolen from an area church. Sometimes the media doesn’t get the whole story. Then there is me who assumed the story was correct. I wasn’t about to call the church and bug them when I know they are already being overwhelmed. Maybe I should have.

Another local TV station (KSTP) reports  “[Pastor] Eder says the Moravian Church is very much into their history. The stolen book, volume three, dates back to 1902. Two other volumes of records are stored in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.”

That answers some questions yet it still means one important volume was stolen. 

New book for German researchers: Hanover Military Records Guide!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Germanic Research  Leave a comment

I received this press release today. Sounds like a MUST HAVE if you have Hanover ancestral roots!

Lind Street Research Publishes a New Guide for finding German Military Records
for the former Kingdom of Hanover

INVERNESS, ILLINOIS, August 1, 2014 – Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, Certified GenealogistSM and German research expert, is proud to announce the publication of Guide to Hanover Military Records, 1514–1866, on Microfilm at the Family History Library. Military records for the former Kingdom of Hanover in Germany can include a soldier’s date and place of birth, his father’s name, and widows’ pensions. This publication is the only English-language guide to this gold mine of information for genealogists. With this guide, a researcher can quickly determine all available records for a regiment and time period and know where to find them in the Family History Library’s (FHL) microfilm holdings in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The records in this collection span 130 rolls of FHL microfilm and go beyond simply listing names of soldiers. In addition to the typical details in the muster rolls, transfers to and from other companies provide clues to additional muster rolls to review. The many other types of records in this collection include regimental journals, pension data, marriage consents, field church books, and even horse muster rolls, including physical descriptions of the horses and the names of the soldiers who rode them, and much, much more.

Easy to use, this guide is organized chronologically and includes brief historical overviews at the beginning of each major section. The book explains the history of the former Kingdom of Hanover and includes a detailed explanation of how to use this guide, demonstrated with examples.
This guide book is a must-have for anyone researching ancestors from the former Kingdom of Hanover in Germany.

“McMillin has produced a thorough, detailed guide to the soldiers’ records, geography, and military history of the Kingdom of Hanover. Her book is the key that unlocks the puzzle of which microfilm your ancestor’s military record is found among the 130 Hanover military microfilms at the Family History Library.” — Ernest Thode

“Until now this collection has hardly been touched by family historians, mostly because of the difficulties associated with locating the…microfilms. It’s an incredibly helpful work.” – Baerbel Johnson

“The 400+ pages of this guide will save any genealogical or historical researcher dozens of frustrating hours trying to find valuable information in this collection. Although painstakingly detailed, it is ridiculously easy to use.” — Michael Lacopo

Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, Certified Genealogistsm has had a life-long passion for genealogy. In 2006, Teresa founded Lind Street Research, a company dedicated to helping clients trace their German ancestry. Since then, she has helped many people discover their family history. Teresa also writes family history books and is a popular speaker for local and national genealogical societies, sharing her knowledge with the genealogical community. 

Visit www.hanovermilitary.com for more details
Contact:           Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, CG
                        [email protected]
                        847-338-0041 
 

Teresa S. McMillin, CG
www.lindstreet.com

CG or Certified Genealogist is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certified genealogists after periodic evaluation.

KARE 11 reports Chaska Moravian Church books stolen

Paula Stuart-Warren  Church records  1 Comment

It’s been a tough news day here in my area. One horrific story has been the shooting and death of a suburban police officer. That has affected my thinking all afternoon. My heart aches for his family and fellow officers.

Then I checked the local news channels websites to see if the suspect had been found and so far that news is negative. I saw another story that caught my eye. Definitely not as horrific, but still sad. A local news channel (KARE) has reported that thieves broke into a Minnesota church and among other items stole the church record books. These books from the Chaska Moravian Church are a big part of the history of the church and the area in Carver County, Minnesota.

KARE11 reports “Sometime in the late evening hours of Monday, July 14th, Reverend Eder discovered thieves broke into the church office and took a locked safe containing $50, but even more valuable to the church were four handwritten ledgers containing birth, wedding and death records dating back to 1920. The leather bound books contained important genealogy information of members from the early years all the way to a baptism performed two weeks ago.”

I just checked several catalogs including those of the Minnesota Historical Society and the Family History Library and didn’t see any evidence that these record books were ever microfilmed. The Moravian Church Archives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania does appear to have something from the first two record books. That means two of the stolen items are the only locations of the valuable information. Now I wonder if it is microfilm, photocopy, index, abstract, or what else? The inventory is not clear.

Read the full KARE story here plus the video of the newscast announcement.

Some record abstracts are posted on this website. Debbie Moe did an even greater service at the time by providing this information.

Update to police officer death: the suspect has been apprehended.

Genealogical Research Institute of Pennsylvania 1 & 2!

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

I am home from a successful week at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh that was held at LaRoche College. I had a classroom full of wonderful and sharing people in the course I coordinate, “Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper.” The homework project for the week turned out to be one that featured many twists and turns. One newspaper article even called the family “notorious!” We were able to spend time discussing many of the students’ own research problems and I hope they follow up on the great research suggestions we all shared. Sometimes it just takes a different set of eyes and experience to help solve an issue.

I also taught in the “Becoming an Online Expert: Mastering Search Engines and Digital Archives” that is coordinated by Josh Taylor and had fun sharing the ins and outs of searching on Ancestry.com and on public library websites. I appreciate the great presentations by Debra Mieszala, CG and D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS in the intermediate course.

I made some new friends last week and some of them are even attending a course in Orchard Lake! They are hooked on the institute experience.

The next offerings of the week-long institute are July 20-25, 2014 in Pittsburgh and August 3-8, 2014 in Orchard Lake, Michigan (a beautiful suburb of Detroit). I will be repeating the “Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper” and will also be teaching in the “Bridging the Gap: New England to the Midwest, 1780-1840.”

There are still some openings in the Orchard Lake week. Visit http://www.gripitt.org for more details.

You may still register for the FGS Genealogy Conference in San Antonio!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Advent Calendar, Conferences/Institutes, Federation of Genealogical Societies, FGS  Leave a comment

I just had someone ask me if they could still register for the FGS (Federation of Genealogical Societies) conference in San Antonio, Texas.

That answer is easy: YES!

One other question that I usually receive since I am a member of the FGS Board of Directors is whether this is just a conference for genealogical societies. Another easy reply: NOT AT ALL!

Anyone may register and you don’t need to belong to a genealogical society. Though, I would then ask why that person doesn’t belong to a society where they reside and also where the ancestors resided. Whether you are just starting out with your family history research or have been researching for a long time, there are helpful presentations, networking, vendors, speakers, topics, fun events, plus the beautiful and famous San Antonio River Walk just steps from the convention center and hotels.

Check the conference information, speaker and topic lineup, hotel details (a second large hotel was added), luncheons with special speakers, evening events, workshops, exhibit hall participants, and more at https://www.fgsconference.org. Be sure to click on the Blog and read updates and important details, too.

If you register now, you will soon get online access to the full syllabus. Each conference registrant will receive notice in early August that the conference syllabus of lecture handouts is online and ready to read. Be sure to print the sections for lectures you plan to attend. Many speakers refer to specific points, have the URLs in there, and you may want to add additional notes on some of the points.

One billion family history records from FamilySearch at our fingertips!

Paula Stuart-Warren  FamilySearch  Leave a comment

You may have already seen the stories about this but I still have to write about it. I can’t even fathom one billion images.

This past week, “FamilySearch International (FamilySearch.org) announced the online publication of its one billionth image of historic records at FamilySearch.org, a feat that took just 7 years to accomplish.”

I still love to touch original records in libraries, courthouses, historical societies, and archives, but I also love to sit here at my computer, with no shoes on, and my mug of spring water next to me, while I look at digitized records of my ancestors that are available online.

I have viewed records from all over the U.S., England, Canada, and other places. According to FamilySearch, the billionth image was published in FamilySearch.org’s growing Peru civil registration collections.

To read the full story on the FamilySearch blog, click here.

To search the indexed images, visit FamilySearch.org and click on Search. When you are on the actual search page scroll down to the list of country names and pick one to see what is online for your ancestral interest.

Bill Forsyth from ProQuest wins Distinguished Industry Achievement Award at ALA Conference

Paula Stuart-Warren  American Library Association, Federation of Genealogical Societies, FGS, ProQuest  Leave a comment

It’s wonderful to see a major award given to someone with a connection to the genealogy industry. It’s even better when that someone is a person you know and respect.

The first paragraph of today’s press release about this says: “ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The Reference and User Services Association, (RUSA), a Division of the American Library Association, announced William (Bill) Forsyth, director of product management for ProQuest, is the recipient of the Genealogical Publishing Company award. The award, $1,500 and a citation donated by the Genealogical Publishing Company and sponsored by the History Section of RUSA, was created in 1992 to encourage, recognize and commend professional achievement in historical reference and research librarianship. Mr. Forsyth’s outstanding contributions to the field sustain the importance of genealogy in historical research. He is a widely recognized expert in genealogy and a frequent speaker. Mr. Forsyth is an active member of RUSA, completing a two-year term as Chair of the Local History Committee and will begin a new term as a member of the Genealogy Committee. He also serves on the Records Preservation and Access Committee and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists.”

Bill is a great supporter of many efforts in the field of genealogy. He is THE person with whom the Federation of Genealogical Societies works to put on Librarians’ Day at the annual FGS Conferences. His employer, ProQuest, sponsors the Librarians’ Day. He is a joy to work with and as a former FGS conference co-chair, I know how important the day is and how easy he is to work with.

For more about the 2014 Librarians’ Day visit that page on the FGS Conference website. All librarians are welcome and it’s a great place to meet many others from across the nation. https://www.fgsconference.org/program/librarians-day/

To read the full press release click here.