Live-Streamed Jamboree Sessions Announced

I received the following press release from the the Southern California Genealogical Society. I am very excited to participate in the Jamboree via the live-streamed sessions.

 

Live-Streamed Jamboree Sessions Announced

"SCGS is there for you, no matter where you are." That statement is never as true as it will be the coming 10 days, during the Society's annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree.

The Southern California Genealogical Society announces its schedule of live-streamed sessions of the 2013 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. The "JamboSTREAM" webcast is free to viewers and is made available through the gracious support of Ancestry.com.

"We are very excited to be able to offer these outstanding classes to genealogists around the world. Our course list includes a good mix of topics from some of the best speakers around. We are confident that this event will be very popular and well-attended," said Paula Hinkel, co-chair of the annual event.

"Our partnership with Ancestry.com provides a particularly valuable service to the genealogical community in 2013. This year, Ancestry.com will be running pre-recorded webinars and instructional programs during Jamboree's break times and lunch hours. Our viewers will have an opportunity to sharpen skills in so many areas," Hinkel continued.

To sign up for a session, just click on the link for each class. You will receive a confirmation notice with the security credentials (username and password) for each session. You must be registered in order to be able to view a session, and you must register for each individual session that you wish to attend.

To sign up for a session, just click on the link for each class. You will receive a confirmation notice with the security credentials (username and password) for each session. You must be registered in order to be able to view a session, and you must register for each individual session that you wish to attend.

Sessions to be live streamed include:

Friday, June 7

1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
FR001: Basic Military Research
Craig Roberts Scott MA, CG

3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
FR016: The Ethical Genealogist
Judy G. Russell JD, CG
Handout

4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
FR022: DNA Panel Discussion - Hear it from the Experts.
CeCe Moore; Alice Fairhurst; Ken Chanine PhD; Joanna Mountain PhD; Bennett Greenspan
Co-Sponsored by International Society of Genetic Genealogy

Saturday, June 8

8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
SA004: Researching Your War of 1812 Ancestor
Craig Roberts Scott MA,CG

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
SA018: Genealogical Periodicals: Where the Answers Are
Kory L. Meyerink MLS, AG, FUGA

11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
SA020: Master Using Google for Common Surname Searches
Lisa Louise Cooke

2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
SA032: Turning Genealogy into Family History: Creating Stories from Stats
Jean Wilcox Hibben PhD, MA, CG

3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
SA041: Finding Your Family in the French and Indian Wars
Leland Meitzler

5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
SA048: Staying Safe Online
Thomas MacEntee

Sunday, June 9

8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
SU003: A Guided Tour of Cyndi's List 2.0
Cyndi Ingle Howells

10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
SU017: Scanning and Photo Retouching for Beginners: Foundations and Fundamentals
Tom Underhill

1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
SU020: Strange and Unusual Sources for Irish Family History
James Ryan, PhD

2:30 PM to 3:30 PM
SU029: Lessons from the Archive
Denise Levenick

In addition to the live-streamed sessions, the Jamboree management team of Leo Myers and Paula Hinkel will conduct a special webinar to give Jamboree attendees a peek behind the conference curtain. Newcomers to Jamboree are encouraged to log on Saturday, June 1 at 2:00 PM PDT to learn all the ins and outs of navigating through one of the genealogical community's most popular events. What's the deal with the app? Where to park? Where to eat? What to bring? What to wear? And why must the chairs stay hooked together? You'll learn it all.

Click here to register for the webinar
2:00 p.m. PDT
Saturday, June 2, 2013
Leo Myers and Paula Hinkel

The Southern California Genealogical Society hosts semi-monthly webinar sessions that are offered free to the public. SCGS members are able to access nearly 60 recorded webinars at their convenience in the members' archive. The streamed sessions will be added to the archive at a later date, speaker authorization permitting.

NGS Announces the 2014 Family History Conference in Virginia

I received the following press release from the National Genealogical Society, and I am excited that the 2014 conference is in Virginia.
 

NGS is pleased to announce the 2014 Family History Conference will be held 7–10 May 2014 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center and Marriott Hotel located in downtown Richmond, Virginia. Conference highlights and contact information for conference hotels can be found in the Announcement Brochure, which can be downloaded at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/galleries/new-gallery/2014_Announcement_Brochure.pdf. The conference theme, Virginia: The First Frontier, will explore the records and history that draw so many back to their roots in the Old Dominion. Lecture topics will also include migration into, within, and out of the region down the Great Wagon Road, over the Appalachian Mountains, and across the south to Texas and beyond.

Genealogy conferences in Richmond, Virginia, are always well attended, so plan to make your reservations early. The five conference hotels will accept reservations beginning 1 June 2013 and the special conference rates apply three days before and after the conference. The hotels offer a variety of amenities and dining options, so choose the one that best fits your needs. The convention and visitors bureau will be providing shuttle buses between the convention center and the Crowne Plaza, Omni, and Holiday Inn Express hotels, which are a few blocks away, while the conference is in session. For more details please see the NGS conference website at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/accommodations. Consider arriving early to experience one or more historical tours in and around Richmond provided by Richmond Discoveries’ Tours on Monday afternoon 5 May 2014 and Tuesday morning and afternoon 6 May 2014. Details can be found at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/tours. Tour reservations will be accepted beginning 1 December 2013.

Including the history, records, repositories, and ethnic and religious groups in Virginia and the neighboring states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The program will also feature broader genealogical categories including military and other federal records, the law as it relates to genealogy, methodology, analysis, and problem solving. There will also be an emphasis on the use of technology (GenTech) in genealogical research including genetics, mobile devices, and apps.

An Exhibit Hall with more than 100 vendors will be free and open to the public from Wednesday through Saturday at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, directly across from the Marriott Hotel. Exhibitors will include genealogy database and software providers, booksellers, genealogy societies, providers of genetic testing, and much more.

Sign up for the NGS Conference Blog at http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org so you do not miss any of the conference news or announcements. Conference registration opens 1 December 2013.

Instructors Selected for 2014 Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum

I am very excited to announce the 2014 instructors for the Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum course at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). They are top quality instructors (see bios below) and have each prepared an interesting case for the students to work through. These cases will provide experience working with different geographic locations and methodologies as participants research and then analyze and correlate evidence to solve the cases.  

If you would like to participate in this challenging course registration opens on June 1st.  The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy will be held January 13-17, 2014 at the Radission Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah just two blocks from the Family History Library.

The instructors for the 2014 Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum:

J. Mark Lowe CG, FUGA, is a full-time professional genealogist,
author, and lecturer and researches primarily in original records and
manuscripts throughout the South. He also serves as a Course
Coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and
Samford University’s Institute for Genealogical and Historical
Research (Research in the South) and Director of the Regional In-depth
Genealogical Studies Alliance (RIGS Alliance), learning sessions and
hands-on research focusing on original documents and manuscripts at
regional archives. Mark has worked on several genealogical television
series including African American Lives 2, Who Do You Think You Are?

He is a Past-President of APG, Past-President of FGS, and Past-President of the Southern Kentucky Genealogical Society. Mark is a Certified Genealogist and a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association, and was awarded the Graham T. Smallwood award by the Association of Professional Genealogists.

J. H. (“Jay”) Fonkert, CG, is a genealogical researcher, writer and lecturer specializing in 19th-Century Midwest, English and Dutch genealogy. He has published more than 30 research, teaching and review articles in National Genealogical Society Quarterly, NGS Magazine, Minnesota Genealogist, The Septs, and Family Chronicle. He has lectured at conferences of NGS and the Federation of Genealogical Societies, as well as at workshops from Florida to Washington to Ontario. A past president of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, he is in his second term as a Director of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Dr. William M. Litchman is the author of genealogical articles for such periodicals as The National Genealogical Society Quarterly, The Newfoundland Ancestor, and The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, including “Teaching Analysis, Logic, and the Research Process: A Seminar Approach,” NGS Newsmagazine, Nov/Dec 2000, pp 340-343. He has produced an 11-volume index, AnEvery-Name Index of the 1865 New York State Census for Jefferson County, and An Every-Name Index for the 1921 Census of Newfoundland: Burgeo-La Poile District. He teaches genealogy classes for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and in Albuquerque, and speaks about specific research topics for genealogical groups, including the NM Genealogical Society and the Albuquerque Genealogical Society.

David Ouimette, CG, manages Content Strategy at FamilySearch, prioritizing the acquisition and online publication of records worldwide for family history research. He has conducted research and analyzed archival materials in dozens of countries in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. David regularly lectures at national genealogical conferences and institutes. He has contributed articles to many magazines and journals and authored Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide.

 

Harold Henderson, CG, has been a professional writer since 1979, a professional genealogist since 2009, and a board-certified genealogist since June 2012. He lives and works in northwest Indiana and at midwestroots.net. He serves on the board of the Association of Professional Genealogists. He is the author of Finding Ancestors in Fort Wayne and an every-name index to the earliest court records of La Porte County, Indiana. He has published in American Ancestors Journal (annual supplement to the New England Historical and Genealogical Register), the NGS Magazine, six state quarterlies, and Archives.com. He speaks nationally and blogs at midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com. At any given time he would probably rather be reading a grantor index. 

 

 Michael Hait, CG, is a full-time professional genealogist, with over fifteen years of research experience across the United States, from Connecticut to Louisiana, Tennessee to South Dakota. His specialties include Maryland research, African American genealogy, and records of the Civil War and Reconstruction era. Michael is a frequent contributor to genealogy magazines and journals, and a popular lecturer in the Mid-Atlantic area. For more information on Michael's available services, visit http://www.haitfamilyresearch.com. 

The course coordinators: 

Angela Packer McGhie is a genealogical researcher, lecturer, and instructor. She is the administrator of the ProGen StudyProgram (studying Professional Genealogy) and the new Gen Proof groups (studying Mastering Genealogical Proof). Angela is an instructor at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), and the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR). She is a past president of the National Capital Area Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists and is a contributing author to the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. 

Kimberly Powell is a professional genealogist, author, and blogger. She has been writing/blogging about genealogy for About.com (http://genealogy.about.com) since 2000. She is the author of several
books including The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy, 2nd edition (Adams Media, 2011), as well as articles for popular genealogy magazines such as BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? magazine. Kimberly is the Vice President of the Association of Professional Genealogists, where she also serves as chair of the Professional Development Committee, and Assistant Director for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She volunteers with FamilySearch Indexing, as coordinator for ProGen 12, and as webmaster for the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society.

Wordless Wednesday -- Add a Caption for Fun

Registration Opens June 1st for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy

The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) is opening registration for the 2014 program on June 1, 2013 at 9:00a.m. Mountain Time. The Institute will be held at the Radisson Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 13-17, 2014. Some tracks will fill quickly so plan to register early if you know which one you want. Registration details can be found here. Detailed descriptions of each track can be found here.

 

There are many great tracks this year!
 
Course 1
American Research and Records: Focus on Families
Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FUGA

Course 2
New York Research
Karen Mauer Green, CG

Course 3
Research in the South
J. Mark Lowe, CG

Course 5
Advanced Research Tools: Land Records
Richard G. Sayre, CG and Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL

Course 6
Credentialing: Accreditation, Certification, or Both?
Apryl Cox, AG and Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL

Course 7
Producing a Quality Family Narrative
John Philip Colletta Ph.D., FUGA

Course 8
Researching in Eastern Europe
Kory Meyerink, AG

Course 9
Advanced Genealogical Methods
Thomas Jones Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS

Course 10
Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum
Angela McGhie and Kimberly Powell

Course 11
Problem Solving
Judith Hansen, AG, MLS

Please visit the website for more information: www.slig.ugagenealogy.org
Email sligdirector@ugagenealogy.org with questions.

Announcing the Gen Proof Study Group Mentors

I am excited to share the names of the mentors in the Gen Proof Study Group. Details on this new set of online groups studying Mastering Genealogical Proof  by Thomas W. Jones can be found here, and the instructions to join the waiting list can be found here. There will be other mentors participating in the study group in the future, but these are the mentors that have volunteered to guide others in discussing the Genealogical Proof Standard and other topics in the book beginning this summer.

Appreciation goes to these Gen Proof study group mentors (in no particular order):

Harold Henderson, CG

Julie Michutka

Alison Hare, CG

Angela McGhie

Debbie Hooper, CG

Barbara Mathews, CG

Brenda Wheeler
Thomas W. Jones, CG

Tina Sansone

Kimberly Powell

Melanie Holtz, CG

Michelle Goodrum

Rebecca Koford

Michael Hait, CG

Debra Hoffman

Karen Stanbary

Stefani Evans, CG

Steve Buffat

Debbie Parker Wayne, CG

Janis Gilmore

Julie George

Christy Fillerup

Tonya Hull

If you would like to participate in a study group please see the links above or below. If you are intersted in mentoring a group, please email me at mcghiefamilyhistory at gmail.com

Related Posts:

"Gen Proof" Groups to Study Mastering Genealogical Proof

Gen Proof Study Groups – How To Get In

BCG Blog Features Skillbuilding Lectures from NGS Conference

It is not Friday, but I have a blog I would love to feature and recommend that others follow. This is the BCG SpringBoard: News and Notes blog. It is sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists and I have found the content useful. Barbara Mathews, CG is the primary blogger, but she has had a series of board-certified genealogists featured as guest bloggers over the past week. They have written summaries of the lectures in the BCG Skillbuilding track at the National Genealogical Society Conference that was held in Las Vegas from May 8 - 11, 2013

I was able to attend a few of the lectures in this track, but missed many of them as I was only at the conference for 2 1/2 days, and spent some of my time networking and presenting my own lecture. I enjoyed the summaries of each presentation on this blog.

JAMB, Inc. recorded many of the lectures and will have them available for purchase on CD soon. See the NGS Conference page on their website for more information. I purchased several of the lectures on CD before I left the conference, and have done the same in past years even when I have been unable to attend the conference. This is an excellent way to further your genealogy education and learn from some of the best instructors in genealogy.

You can access some of the posts under "recent posts" on the blog, but not all of them so I decided to share links to the individual posts on the BCG Skillbuilding lecture track at the NGS 2013 conference:

• BCG Ed Fund Leary Distinguished Lecture: Elizabeth Mills on “Can Trousers, Beds, and Other ‘Trivial Details’ Solve Genealogical Problems?”
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Richard Sayre on “Genealogical Applications of Historical Geographical Information Systems”
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Pamela Boyer Sayre on “Enough is Enough! Or Is It?”
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Barbara Mathews on “Not Quite Right: Recognizing Errors”
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Julie Miller on “Using Emigrant Guides for Genealogical Research”  
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Elissa Scalise Powell on “Baker’s Dozen Steps to Writing Research Reports” 
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Warren Bittner on “Proof Arguments: How and Why?” 
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Harold Henderson on “Are We There Yet? Proof and the Genealogy Police” 
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: David Rencher on “Treasures in the Records of the U.S. Congress” 
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Dawne Slater-Putt’s “Fail! When the Record is Wrong” 
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Pat Stamm on “Step Outside Your Genealogical Box: Trying Assorted Records to Reach Research Goals” 
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: David Ouimette on “Overcoming Spelling Problems and Unlocking the Power of Names” 
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Elizabeth Mills on “Information Overload? Effective Project Planning, Research, Data Management, and Analysis” 
• BCG Luncheon at NGS 2013: Judy Russell on “Blackguards and Black Sheep: The Lighter Side of the Law” 
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Pam Eagleson on “Grandma’s Treasure Chest: Investigating and Evaluating Family Artifacts” 
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Barbara Vines Little on “Understanding What They Wrote: Tricks and Tips for Deciphering the Unintelligible in Documents” 
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Ronald Hill on “Interpreting the Symbols and Abbreviations in Seventeenth Century English and American Documents” 
• BCG Skillbuilding at NGS 2013: Thomas Jones on “Debunking Misleading Records” 
• BCG Education Fund Workshop: Putting Historical Context and Migration into Your Family History

RIGS Announces Onsite/Online Training at National Archives, Fort Worth

I received the following press release regarding the Regional In-depth Genealogical Studies Alliance (RIGSA) and am excited to share it with my readers. I know both J. Mark Lowe and Linda Woodward Geiger personally, and they are excellent instructors. I think that hands-on training with records is one of the best teaching methods.

Jasper, Georgia (4 May 2013)—The Regional In-depth Genealogical Studies Alliance better known as RIGS Alliance or RIGSA announce its first blended onsite/online training with the National Archives at Fort Worth, Texas , October 8-10 2013. The subject matter material taught by experienced researchers will consist of preliminary classes/videos/presentations and live chats shared in a virtual classroom combined with hands-on sessions with textual records in the National Archives.

J. Mark Lowe, Co-Director of RIGSA indicated the change in format will provide more time for students to understand the records of our National Archives, and more time hands-on with these records. The online training will allow participants to review material, ask questions, and coordinate with other students in developing research strategies. Activities are based on an integrated curriculum with an emphasis on methodology and problem-solving skills.

RIGS Alliance workshops are designed for genealogists, historians, and librarians with a general genealogical or historical grounding who want to learn skills and techniques for researching original records at national and regional archives. To ensure a quality experience, enrollment is limited.

Workshop staff includes J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA; and Linda Woodward Geiger, CG, CGL, and expert staff members at the National Archives in Fort Worth.

For details about these workshops, visit the web site at www.rigsalliance.org; e-mail info@rigsalliance.org; or write to RIGS Alliance Workshop, P.O. Box 1273, Jasper, GA 30143.

Comparing Forensic Genealogy Institute Courses

As part of my continuing series where guest authors share reviews of courses at genealogy institutes, here Charlene M. Pipkin, AG shares her experiences with the forensic genealogy courses she attended in 2013. The opinions shared are those of Charlene. 

Comparing the Forensic Genealogy Institute to BU’s Forensic Genealogy course at SLIG

By Charlene M. Pipkin, Accredited Genealogist®

 
CAFG = Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy 
BU = Boston University’s Programs in Genealogical Research 

SLIG = Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 

I attended both BU’s Forensic Genealogy course at SLIG and the Forensic Genealogy Institute in 2013 and learned more about forensic genealogy in each. Here are my comparisons. 

CONTENT 
Both courses covered types of cases, finding the living, DNA, business structure, and potential markets.

BU: This course offered more guided practice finding the living. The quality of the course content was mixed. Presentations by Mary Ann Boyle, PhD, CG^sm, (types of cases; research objectives, plans, and analysis; and business plans) were the most applicable to genealogists. I found the classes on finding the living and DNA presented by Colleen Fitzpatrick, PhD, informative, while her classes on photographic clues and fraud cases were less relevant to me. Melinde Lutz Byrne, CG^sm, FASG, presented only two topics. Her presentation on naming the unknown dead repeated previously-presented material. I was unable to relate to her archeologist’s perspective on facial reconstruction. She provided no syllabus material.

CAFG: Each presenter (Dee Dee King, CG^sm; Leslie Brinkley Lawson; Kelvin L. Meyers; Michael Ramage, JD, CG^sm; and Debbie Parker Wayne, CG^sm, CGL^sm) was present throughout the Institute. Catherine W. Desmarais, M.Ed., CG^sm, was unable to attend so her material was presented by other instructors. There was more focus on contracts, law and procedures, and ethics. I learned from each presentation. Dee Dee King and Michael Ramage did a mock examination that was both instructional and entertaining. Topics were well coordinated. 

TIME AND COSTS
CAFG: $400 for CAFG members, $450 for non-members, breakfast and lunch included; about 7 hours of instruction daily for 3 days (about 21 hours of instruction); downloadable syllabus provided, printed copy available for $25.

BU: $350 for UGA members, $400 for non-members, cost of final banquet included; 4 hours of instruction daily for 5 days (20 hours of instruction); printed syllabus provided (which is standard for SLIG).

NETWORKING
BU: SLIG has a welcome event, time allowed for class members to introduce themselves, otherwise self-directed.

CAFG: business card exchange, informal dinner gatherings, otherwise self-directed.

CONCLUSION 
Because of the differences of focus, each course offered value. 

BU: The emphasis on the fringes of forensic genealogy disappointed and, in my opinion, did not reflect favorably on Boston University’s program. 

CAFG:  I preferred, and highly recommend, the Forensic Genealogy Institute.

-----

Charlene M. Pipkin, AG®, Genealogy Guide, applies her specialty in kinship determination to a variety of projects, including forensic cases. She is a graduate of Brigham Young University’s bachelor’s degree program in Family History and Genealogy, is an ICAPGen Commissioner, is an Associate Member of CAFG, and is a graduate of ProGen Study 3.