RootsTech 2014

There are many wonderful people in my life that made it possible for me to attend RootsTech this year.  (Biggest thank you's go to my husband and my mother-in-law for taking care of my peeps).  I was also blessed to be able to attend with my mother.  Happy day(s)!

It was very exciting to be back in the thick of things as far as family history happenings.  Rootstech is the place to be to learn and experience the new technologies and techniques involved in family history work.  In the forefront of the event was familysearch.org with all of their amazing updates and the hottest news of their recent partnerships with ancestry.com, findmypast.com and myheritage.com.  Exciting things to come!

The big focus of this years' conference was on stories (as expressed by the video I posted earlier that was visible throughout the conference).  Many of the classes focused on the power and importance of stories.  Personally this is one of my weaknesses.  I am NOT a born storyteller, my parents are not storytellers, there are not many stories that have been passed down through the ages (that is except for my grandmother's stories about her dogs).  I now feel the pressure and know that it is my position (dare I say responsibility... uh lets go with opportunity) to create and preserve the stories of my ancestors.  That's a challenge to be tackled in pieces... 

For those of you unable to attend Rootstech you can take virtual classes online through their video archive.  https://rootstech.org/videos?lang=eng. 

I look forward to next year!

Every Family Has a Story

I was able to attend Rootstech 2014 and this is a video that familysearch  shared.  Literally it was everywhere: on multiple big screens before the keynote speakers, in the expo hall, even on screens set up in the halls throughout the conference center.    Some might have been annoyed with this.  I on the other hand took it in at every chance.  I am touched by this video every time.

There is power, peace, perspective, strength to be found in Family History. 

Every Family Has a Story: Discover Yours!

Exciting Family History Purchases

This week I have made a few purchases that are family history related that I am very excited about. Two of them are a direct result of my attending the Family History Expo last week.

I splurged and bought Legacy Family Tree 7.0 from one of the vendors at the expo. It is a pedigree software that I had heard great things about. The reviews were great online and I attended their "product plug" class at the expo and was very impressed. I was using an old version of FTM but was unhappy with the search capabilities within the program and the research reports and I had also heard that people were not satisfied with the upgrade version. One of the big selling points for Legacy was their SourceWriter which takes a lot of the guess work out of citing sources (which is very important to me). There also has the ability to copy things to multiple individuals and events as well as the ability to map out where those events took place. I've been slowly copying over my information along with my sources and so far I really like it. There is a free download version available on their website. It does not have all the features of the deluxe version (which I would recommend) but would give you a feel for the program.

The second thing I bought as a result of the Expo is a Foldable Photo Camera Tabletop Stand (I got mine from overstock.com, you can also find it on amazon). I attended a class by Barry Ewell who demonstrated digital photography techniques for genealogists. He recommended the tabletop stand and demonstrated it in class. The stand is really a glorified tripod that allows you to direct your camera straight down, as well as any other angle, to take pictures of documents, books, and vintage photos on a flat surface. A tripod is necessary because you need a longer exposure time without a flash in order to get a good digital image. Barry Ewell says he even uses the tripod to take digital pictures of microfilm ON THE READER, saving him time walking down to the copy machine and messing with the film and copy card. He also said it makes it very easy to copy pages out of books and a lot faster and more convenient than using a scanner (though a scanner, when possible, is the ideal way to get the best quality image). I'm excited to get my package in the mail! I'll be sure to let you know how it works for me.

The third, and most thrilling (and expensive) purchase I made this week were airline tickets to Minnesota to visit my Grandma! I have felt like I needed to go and have been talking about going for years. But no more talking, the tickets are bought and I am leaving in less than a month. I am excited to see my Grandma, talk to her, hear all her stories (over and over), take stock of her pictures and documents, photograph heirlooms, eat Lil' Debbie cakes, and simply hug her. To be sure I will be toting along my digital camera, laptop, and table stand with me on the airplane (but I will be kid free, what will I do on a plane for 2 hours without kids?!?) in anticipation of doing some family history with the oldest living relative I have. I'm excited!

Expo: My Highlights

I came home yesterday after another wonderful day at the Family History Expo and CRASHED. My brain was just all a buzz with the amount of new things I had learned and experienced, I was a bit overloaded. I've had a chance to actually digest a bit and wanted to share some highlights from the expo.

First off, I was very impressed by Holly Hansen (President of FHExpos) and her staff. As a Blogger of Honor they went out of their way to make sure that I was having a good experience. It was so unexpected. Thank you!

The Expo was held at the recently built Embassy Suites in Loveland, Colorado. The facility is stunning and was a perfect venue for the expo. There was ample room for those who attended and the classes offered.

The Exhibition hall was a buzz of activity between classes. I enjoyed mingling with the vendors and learning about their products. It was nice to put a face with a product and I enjoyed being able to ask questions. I even bought a few things that I am excited to implement in my research.

Everyone was given a cd with pdf files of the syllabus for each class. It took a while to load and figure out but I found it very handy to pull up the syllabus on my laptop during the class and then follow along with the speaker taking notes on things that were not included in the syllabus (no frantic copying of the slide before it changed to the next one). Even though I had a copy of the syllabus ahead of time, it was still difficult for me to decide on what class to attend. The class selection and topics were varied and interesting even to multiple skill levels.

Thank you to my wonderful husband who stayed home and watched my 4 and 2 year old boys so I could attended the entire expo. I have found that conferences and expos are an excellent way to re-energize my interest in family history and open doors in my research. I came away from the expo excited to utilize what learned in my personal research.

What did I learn (highlights):

• Tax collectors are notorious gossipers. You never know what information they included in their yearly tax report and their records cover nearly 100 years before federal census records are available.
• The 1911 British Census is available even though it wasn't supposed to come out for another two years and it includes the original handwriting of those taken in the census.
• Techniques for taking digital photos of documents and photographs instead of making photo copies of them. I was surprised at the quality and ease. You can even photograph microfilm images.
• The amount of German genealogical records available online is astounding! None of it was available like that 6 years ago. I'll have to learn a few words in German and then dive into the wealth of information online.
• Familysearch has created a Wiki which is replacing their research helps and allows them to do immediate updates and gives quicker access to materials. It also allows anyone to add information, edit existing information, create links, add local news and events, and submit pictures of a place. It's something I'm going to have to play around with a bit and get involved in.
• My husband has Swedish ancestors in his family so I attended a class on internet sources for Swedish genealogy. I was again amazed by the amount of information available for foreign countries. Family History really is a worldwide project. Family History Centers have access to Genline (a pay site that has images of Swedish records). My husband and I will be checking it out.
• I ended up attending the Twitter class I mentioned a few days ago. I found it to be very helpful, which wasn't hard because I am very new to the technology and lingo. I have been Tweeting about the expo though I feel sorely unfamiliar with the workings of Twitter and the lingo and etiquette. The class helped me feel more comfortable and opened up my eyes to the possible advantages of twitter to family history. Essentially the network of genealogists has a lot room to grow on Twitter, there's a lot of potential. Go join Twitter!
• The DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) website makes records easy to access even if you are not a member. They have a wide array of information available for a minimal fee and I plan to utilize their records. I have Patriots in my heritage and I am anxious to see what the DAR has on them and I might even go through the process to become a member myself.

I look forward to next years Family History Expo. I think it will be even bigger than this year with more attendees and vendors. I can't wait and I'll see you there!

Meanwhile... Happy Tree Climbing!

Expo: Day 1 -Exhausted and Happy

I made it home, amid a massive rain storm, after a long, jam packed day at the Family History Expo. I am exhausted -mentally and physically. (I didn't sleep well last night. I think it was the "family history bed bug." Anyone else get that? Dreaming about names and records...)

Anyway, I went to the Expo very excited but not really knowing what to expect. I came away very impressed with how well organized it was. The facility is amazing, the expo staff and volunteers helpful, the class selection extensive, and the speakers very knowledgeable.

The overall theme for this years conference was "Learn the Tech to Trace Your Roots" and they really delivered with the keynote speaker as well as every class that I was able to attend.

Bernie Gracy gave the keynote address this morning entitled "Breaking Down Brick Walls with Location-Based Genealogy." He said that focusing on the TECH of genealogy involved two areas: 1) TECHnique 2) TECHnology. His keynote address covered the technique and his other classes covered the technology part.

According to Bernie Gracy, when approaching genealogy there are five dimensions (techniques): Biological (Who), Temporal (When), Socio-Economical (What), Historical (Why), and Geographical (Where). Many of us start with the Who and When and end up coming accross the Where along the way but in the address (as well as on his syllabus) Gracy said:

"I have come to understand the dominant influence of Where on the four other dimensions. When you take into account available technology and the relative lack of mobility before the introduction of the steam train and the automobile, or where physical geography hindered mobility, or where geography and culture intersect, the Where dimension becomes THE dominant dimension in your family tree."

He thus introduced the idea of "Location Based Echos" which affect the other four dimensions of genealogical research. I knew that Location was important in my research but had not totally realized the HUGE impact it had on families and communites. Gracy's case studies opened my eyes to the possibilities.

Goodness, it is now past 10:30 and I have to get up bright and early tomorrow for another full day at the Expo. More to come tomorrow!

Expo: Here I am!

I 'm just checking in from the wonderful "Blogger Bistro" at the Family History Expo in Loveland, Colorado. It is a pretty happening place and a gorgeous facility. I'm currently on my lunch break but I'm struggling to focus amidst all that is going on so I will have to regroup at home and blog about the informnative classes I have attended. To be sure there will be more detailed posts to come.

TWITTER and Family History???

It seems that Twitter has been thrown in front of me a lot in the last few weeks. For the Family History Expo this weekend in Loveland, Colorado (which I am very excited to attend) I was encouraged to look into Twitter as a way to share my experiences while at the conference. TIME magazine this week had a cover article as well as a smaller one on Twitter and how it is changing the way people communicate. Then while looking through the schedule for the Expo I noticed that there is a class focused on Twitter:

"Twitter: A Promising Tool for Genealogy Microblogging by Dean Richardson (his blog)
(Beginner-Experienced) Perhaps you've thought of starting a "Geneablog"--an online journal in which you share your research discoveries and brick walls with the Web-connected world--but recoiled at the time commitment involved or at the sheer effort required to write polished, fun-to-read posts on a consistent basis. If so, why not try "Tweeting" instead? In this talk we'll discuss Twitter, the new online phenomenon that lets you publish brief, spontaneous thoughts (genealogy-related or not) to a receptive audience in 140 characters or less."

I think I understand what Twitter is BUT I still don't understand the value of it in general or even more specifically the value of it to Family History Research and collaboration. I guess I might just have to take the class.

Do any of you use Twitter and have found it to be more than just another distraction but something useful?

Family History Expo in Loveland, Colorado

My anticipation is building for the Colorado Family History Expo which is NEXT week (June 12-13). I spent yesterday afternoon studying the schedule trying to figure out what classes I am going to take. It's going to be hard to choose, there are so many that I am interested in. I'm hoping the syllabus will help me decide.

Meanwhile the word is getting out about the conference. I'm excited to meet, mingle, and learn with people that share my interest in family history. Check out the links below to get in on the excitement.

TV Commercial produced by Family History Expos and broadcast via Channel 4, Comcast, & Bresnan Cable

Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter

Estes Park Trail Gazette

Blogger of Honor Laura Craner

Local Family History Conference

I had the great opprotunity to participate in my stake's family history conference the Saturday before Easter. The conference consisted of classes as well as an open house with display tables in the cultral hall. They asked me to do a manned display on "Connecting Through Blogging". The idea really excited me and I really enjoyed getting ready for and presenting my display. I did a lot of my plotting while I was in Utah visiting family. I did a lot of bouncing ideas off my mother. I would even email her pictures and files of my ideas after I got home. She was a great help to me.
There were two focuses for my display... General Blogging and Family History Blogging. For some people blogs are a totally unknown thing and I introduced the benifits of blogging and how it can help you connect with family as well as build your personal history. But for those that might already blog I had information on using blogs to help with your family history research as well as sharing what information you have with family.

Overall, I was very pleased with how the day went. I had a lot of interest and think there were a few people who learned something new and left with a desire to start something of their own. If you are interested in information I have my handouts and blog link lists availible to email out.

Pulling together my display spurred me to finally copy and frame some pictures to go on my iron tree. I love the way it turned out and I even had people asking me where I got my cool tree (from my mother of course who was kind enough to pick it up for me from Rod Works in Utah. It was part of their Christmas decor and they had extras on clearance after Christmas.)

Another thing preparing for the conference spurred me to do was start this family history blog. It is still a work in progress. I have big plans for it though. I'm hoping to use it as my research log (when I actually take/have the time to do family history). By putting my research log on a blog I can share what I am doing, what I have found, where I have found it, family stories, family photos, internet sourse links, etc... with my family and also with people who might be searching the same lines. The blog format also allows me to have multiple authors posting and allows for people to comment on my research --great for collaboration! So, that's the plan. I'm excited!


I managed to take a few pictures of the other display tables but when I got home I realized that I missed a few of them and that the picture quality is lacking. Oh well. There were displays on family heirlooms, scrapbooking family history, invloving family in family history, continuing what others have started, digitizing family

photos, digital scrapbooking, as well as how to use PAF and the website new.familysearch.org. A friend of mine had also created a display of art and photos of people in the stake.



Overall, I think the conferece was a sucess and I enjoyed participating. The greatest benifit was it got me back into the "family history groove" again.