Countdown to the St. George Expo

Because I am writing this away from my own computer and my ability to access the images I have stored there, with no capability to re-capture them, this blog post will be sans cute pictures. So sorry. But the important parts are included: information about the St. George Family History Expo, taking place this coming weekend.

February can be a dreary month. We try to give it some humor with Groundhog Day at the onset, then give it some color and emotion with Valentine's Day in the middle of the month, and finally we attempt to restore its dignity about a week later with Presidents' Day (formerly a combination of the birthdays of Lincoln - before Valentine's - and Washington - after Valentine's; but now celebrated - by some - separately from Lincoln, whose birthday was restored to individual status while Washington's day remains combined with an honor to all Presidents . . . go figure). Anyway, by the end of the month, we're confused. The weather is often still oppressive with clouds, snow, and all manor of stuff from the sky - sometimes it seems as if the universe is confused as well.

But there is hope! Yes, Family History Expos has taken on the task of getting the "yuck" out of February and restoring it to it's proper place as Number 2 month (does that mean it tries harder? - allusion to the old Avis Rental Car commercials - it certainly seems to at times). For genealogists, it is time to poke our heads out of our holes (where many of us went to hide, along with the Groundhog, after the month began with the RootsTech conference - overwhelming many both by its size and wealth of information).

In St. George, Utah, genealogists of all levels of expertise will be converging on the Dixie Center where they will be educated in all things genealogy:
Being a Family History Consultant
The 1940 Census
Beginning Research
Intermediate Research
Advance Research
Specialized Research - by geographic areas, record types, etc.
Using Technology

There is bound to be something for everyone! And if you have an hour with nothing being offered that interests you, check out the exhibit hall and the many genealogy-related products, stop by the Blog House to meet the bloggers that are always keeping us updated on the latest information, or check with the "Ask an Expert" table to get some specialized help.

And if you come to the Expo, please be sure to look for me and say "hi!" - it's always nice to know that someone is reading these things.

Friday and Saturday, February 24 & 25 (see the website for all the details on the schedule, presenters, bloggers, exhibitors, and more).

Countdown to St. George Family History Expo - 1 Week

In a week, I will be nestled in with the bloggers at the Blog House in St. George. I wonder what I will have to share from there. I know that I will be asking a bunch of questions as I am still in a quandary about how to use Twitter in my business and personal life. I also look forward to sharing ideas with the other bloggers, most of whom have blogs dealing with genealogy. This is a wonderful way to share information on genealogy tips, finds, warnings, etc. And, guess what: IT'S FREE! (Yes, I did mean to shout.) These amazing people are interested in helping other genealogists (even the earliest of beginners) set up their own blogs to further their research on contact with others. So if you plan to attend the Expo in St. George, come to the Blog House for blogging hints & helps.



Now, if you want to attend the event but are not interested in the classes (hard to believe, but some people wish to network and shop), the entire exhibit hall is FREE! (That's my favorite price.) And some other experiences there will also be without cost. Here, for those who share my love of free, are some examples:

RootsMagic will be there demonstrating all their products and running "mini-classes" in the exhibit hall (no charge). The staff there will also do one-on-one help if you are having any problems with your RM program. A more helpful group you will not find anywhere, plus the products are absolutely amazing! Come learn.

FamilySearch will be there with many computers that you can personally access and get one-on-one assistance to learn all the latest and greatest from that FREE resource. If you have not been on FS in over a month, I promise you that you have many exciting surprises awaiting you.

Ask the Pros will again be available - a chance for you to get individual help for your particular genealogy problems. Stop by their booth to see what times the various experts will be available to assist you . . . for . . . FREE!

Confused about how DNA figures into your family history research? Come check the DNA Consultants booth and ask your questions. This could be just the way to go to break through the brick wall. Of course testing costs, but asking questions of their experts is FREE!

Many local and regional genealogical and historical societies will also be on hand to acquaint you with their organizations (another great way to network is to join these groups).

How about organizing and displaying your family history? Are you confused about how you might go about that? No problem! Just check the many options there in the exhibit hall (in order to avoid missing any of these, I will just suggest you click on the image above and then go to the exhibit hall listing). There are so many options to choose from and here you have a chance to compare them virtually side-by-side, and ask questions as you do so (something that could take hours or even days if you relied on going to Internet sites and emailing your inquiries). Here you can do it in a fraction of the time and all for . . . F*R*E*E!

Other exhibitors are going to be on hand to show you their services and products. Suggestion: while advice and consultations are free, those wares are not, so be sure to figure your budget in advance! For me, it's like being a kid in a candy store!

And don't forget to stop by and say "hi" to me . . . I'll be at the Blog House a lot!

St. George Family History Expo Countdown - 2 weeks

Only 2 weeks and genealogists from all over the country will be converging on St. George for the Family History Expo. As at the Mesa Expo last month, I will be accompanied by a couple of friends who are expert at translating German (current or from centuries ago) and they will be there to assist people in understanding documents, letters, or other German records.While they can only do short things at the Expo for free, they will be able to take longer documents with them to do later and then email them to folks wishing their service. Their rates are reasonable and their skill and thoroughness is amazing! If they aren't at the "ask the pros" table, find us over at the Blog House.

Links for the Expo are on previous blogs (my computer, with all my graphics, etc, is at the computer hospital so I am writing this on my husband's baby computer with its keyboard that is missing three keys - good thing I learned the "touch system" in typing class in Junior High).

Hope to see you in St. George and tell your friends!

Countdown to St. George Family History Expo - 3 Weeks

My turn. A little self-promotion never hurts. Today I want to cover what I will be presenting at the St. George Family History Expo on Jan. 21-22. On Friday, I'll be discussing Music and Our Ancestors and On Saturday I will be presenting Clue to Clue and Who is That? Here are the details:

Friday, 4:30-5:30pm, Class #50, Sunbrook C -
How the Music and Instruments of Your Ancestors are Relevant to Family History Research

Most people don't think of the entertainment activities of their ancestors as being relevant in genealogical research, but it certainly is for those who want to delve into family history - learning the various aspects of the family dynamics. Just as music is important in our lives today, so it was for our multi-great-grandparents. What music was common in certain regions? What types of instruments were played and songs were sung? How does one find out about these things? Is there a way to learn about your ancestor's music life even if no artifacts remain (i.e., no instruments have survived)? This program will answer some, if not all, of these questions; give the researcher new things to search and look for; and shed some light on that other part of the ancestors' lives. Researchers of all levels are welcome.


Saturday, 11:00am-noon, Class #81, Sunbrook C -
Who is That? Why Did Your Ancestor Associate with Apparent Strangers?

I examine those "other" people who seem to appear on records with our ancestors. This includes people on census reports who live in the same home as our forebears, people who sign as witnesses on various documents, and people who are buried in our family plots. Why are they there? Were they related? Friends? Or just people who ended up associating with our families? We will consider different ways to research these people and learn how/if they are connected. These research processes can often shed light on other family members. Good for most levels of research, especially if this has not been a method you have used before.

Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, Class #91, Sunbrook C -
Clue to Clue: Tracking a Family Across Time and Miles

I examine the step-by-step process of researching a single family as they moved from place to place throughout their lives, from 1828 through 1893, and covering 1500 miles in their moves from New York to Michigan to Iowa to Tennessee to Texas. Using a variety of records, including census schedules (Federal and State), city directories, church documents, interviews, land records, cemetery records and tombstones, newspaper articles, County websites, and more, those in attendance should go away with some new research ideas, even if their ancestors did not live in any of those states. This is good for beginning to intermediate researchers. We have a lot of laughs as we look at the different records, comparing them to family stories, etc.




So there you have it - my offerings for this special event. Click on the icon above to access the full schedule of all there is to learn. In the next weeks we'll look at what the exhibit hall will include and some specifics about some other presentations.

Countdown to St. George Family History Expo - 3 Weeks

My turn. A little self-promotion never hurts. Today I want to cover what I will be presenting at the St. George Family History Expo on Jan. 21-22. On Friday, I'll be discussing Music and Our Ancestors and On Saturday I will be presenting Clue to Clue and Who is That? Here are the details:

Friday, 4:30-5:30pm, Class #50, Sunbrook C -
How the Music and Instruments of Your Ancestors are Relevant to Family History Research

Most people don't think of the entertainment activities of their ancestors as being relevant in genealogical research, but it certainly is for those who want to delve into family history - learning the various aspects of the family dynamics. Just as music is important in our lives today, so it was for our multi-great-grandparents. What music was common in certain regions? What types of instruments were played and songs were sung? How does one find out about these things? Is there a way to learn about your ancestor's music life even if no artifacts remain (i.e., no instruments have survived)? This program will answer some, if not all, of these questions; give the researcher new things to search and look for; and shed some light on that other part of the ancestors' lives. Researchers of all levels are welcome.


Saturday, 11:00am-noon, Class #81, Sunbrook C -
Who is That? Why Did Your Ancestor Associate with Apparent Strangers?

I examine those "other" people who seem to appear on records with our ancestors. This includes people on census reports who live in the same home as our forebears, people who sign as witnesses on various documents, and people who are buried in our family plots. Why are they there? Were they related? Friends? Or just people who ended up associating with our families? We will consider different ways to research these people and learn how/if they are connected. These research processes can often shed light on other family members. Good for most levels of research, especially if this has not been a method you have used before.

Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, Class #91, Sunbrook C -
Clue to Clue: Tracking a Family Across Time and Miles

I examine the step-by-step process of researching a single family as they moved from place to place throughout their lives, from 1828 through 1893, and covering 1500 miles in their moves from New York to Michigan to Iowa to Tennessee to Texas. Using a variety of records, including census schedules (Federal and State), city directories, church documents, interviews, land records, cemetery records and tombstones, newspaper articles, County websites, and more, those in attendance should go away with some new research ideas, even if their ancestors did not live in any of those states. This is good for beginning to intermediate researchers. We have a lot of laughs as we look at the different records, comparing them to family stories, etc.




So there you have it - my offerings for this special event. Click on the icon above to access the full schedule of all there is to learn. In the next weeks we'll look at what the exhibit hall will include and some specifics about some other presentations.