National Archives free virtual Genealogy Fair TOMORROW

Free webcasts from the National Archives, TOMORROW—WEDNESDAY starting at 7:00 AM Pacific Time.

Session videos and handouts will remain available after the event. 

Press Release ·Thursday, August 15, 2019

Washington, DC

WHAT:    The National Archives will host our seventh annual live, virtual Genealogy Fair via webcast on our YouTube channel.  Participate in our biggest genealogy event of the year, with “how-to” family research guidance for all skill levels!  Sessions will offer guidance on: the National Archives’ History Hub; preserving personal collections; and using records relating to immigration; World War I soldiers and marines; Bureau of Indian Affairs schools; and the Homestead Act.  For the full schedule, videos, handouts, and participation instructions, visit the Virtual Genealogy Fair online.  

WHEN:    Wednesday, October 23, starting at 10 a.m. EDT                      

WHO:     Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero, Executive for Research Services Ann Cummings, and government records experts, including those from National Archives’ facilities nationwide.

WHERE:     Anywhere!  Participate during the Fair while it is live streamed on the US National Archives’ YouTube channel. 

HOW:    Visit the Virtual Genealogy Fair web page or follow live on YouTube. Participants can watch individual sessions, download materials, ask questions, and interact with presenters and other family historians.  No need to register - just click and view!  Session videos and handouts will remain available after the event. 

Captioning:  Live captioning will be available online. If you require an alternative or additional accommodations for the event, please email KYR@nara.gov or call 202-357-5260 in advance.

Background: The National Archives holds the permanently valuable records of the Federal government. These include records of interest to genealogists, such as pension files, ship passenger lists, census, and Freedmen’s Bureau materials. See “Resources for Genealogists and Family Historians” online.

Follow the National Archives on Twitter @USNatArchives and join the Genealogy Fair conversation using #genfair2019. 

Meeting Monday, 21 Oct

Do you ever wonder what I am working on?  How I am moving my genealogy research and my genealogy education along?  One of my favorite bloggers Randy Seavers often posts an update on what he is doing…so I will too. 

1.       Last Monday at our WGS meeting the speaker was Mary Kathryn Kozy and her topic was the FamilySearch Wiki.  The Wiki is not a place to search for your ancestors but a place to learn how to research.  Recently in the news, this Wiki surpassed 90,000 articles.  Hard to imagine!  They cover all the places and topics you can imagine down to the level of every county in the US and 263 other countries.  Many of the articles are written by FamilySearch employees and professional genealogists but it’s a wiki.  Everyone is invited to correct links and add to topics they are knowledgeable about.  I hope someone who was at the meeting will come ready to talk about this presentation.

2.       New information about the Wiki was timely because we are deep into another cycle of Research Like a Pro.  The group this time has 10-20 people.  Some are posting their assignments to our Google Group and others just mention to me their results from working the steps. 

3.       For myself, I have spent the last month in Alabama.  I am digging into my Spence family in Alabama from 1815-45.  It’s my first foray in Alabama and this is a hard time period because it was Indian Country and Alabama just became a state in 1819.  On Monday I’ll share my findings and tips on how I moved my research along. 

4.       My walking and driving are accompanied by my favorite podcasts.  The Genealogy Guys are really stepping up their content.  Now they have regular features with Blaine Bettinger on DNA and “Cyndi Says” with Cyndi Ingle. This month Cyndi says: Keep an Open Mind, a good tip for all of us and one to explore at our meeting on Monday.  These four experts (Drew, George, Blaine and Cyndi) are the founders of the Facebook page Genealogy Squad.  Linda B. says that is good place to get lost in.

5.       From Family Locket/Research Like a Pro team, Diana and Nicole are doing a three-part series on Taxes, one of the few places to find ancestors between the Censuses.  They have added a DNA expert to their team and feature DNA blogs and occasional DNA podcasts. 

Our meeting is this Monday 10/21/19 at 1:00.  I hope each of you will think about something you are doing that you can share at the meeting.  For the broader Genies picture, I am starting to reimagine our time together and welcome your ideas.

Many Free Educational Opportunities in October

Fall is here along with Family History Month.  Usually in October I would be announcing events around the region but now in 2019 I have three very local meetings plus TV, YouTube and lots of live-streaming of prominent conferences.  Everything listed is free.  This is an established trend toward offering free online access to education without the airline and hotel expenses.

Here’s a special word about Family Search (always free all the time).  Some day we will wish we kept our family information up over there.  Like it or not, it is an ideal place to preserve our families for posterity while other services are controlled by venture capitalists who don’t have our best interests at heart.  Notice that Mary Kathryn Kozy is speaking about Family Search at the WGS meeting and also the announcement of 90,000 articles published on the Family Search Wiki at the end of this post.

Join us at:

Ferndale RootsMagic Group:  We are continuing to meet monthly.  There are three more meetings this year, all on on Saturdays at 1:00.  Next Saturday, October 5 we will be viewing a video about how media is handled, especially between RootsMagic and Ancestry.  Everyone is welcome as we are all learning together.  If newcomers have a device, you can ask for help to load at least the free software ahead of time or we can help you at the meeting.  Remaining dates are Nov 2 and Dec 7. 

Ferndale Genies Monthly Meeting:   3rd Monday, 1:00-3:30 at Ferndale Library.  Next meeting:  Monday, October 21. 

Whatcom Genealogical Society (WGS):   2nd Mondays, 2:00-3:30 or so.  Bellingham Elks Lodge at 710 Samish Way. Park around back and enter the lower level.  Everyone welcome!

October 14:  Mary Kathryn Kozy, who has been working on her own family genealogy for over 35 years, and has been a speaker for 10 years, will present "Using Family Search and Family Search Wiki."

TV:  A new season of "Finding Your Roots" starts Tuesday, October 8 at 8 pm on PBS, Channel 9.

MyHeritage Amsterdam:  The second annual user conference, MyHeritage LIVE 2019 in Amsterdam, was a huge success!  Free lectures by many of our best-known lecturers are online.  Full list for DNA and MyHeritage Genealogy tracks is here: https://blog.myheritage.com/2019/09/myheritage-live-2019-lectures-now-online/

RootsTech London:  For the first time RootsTech is presenting a conference in London October 24th – October 26th, 2019!  One blogger has said they will have free livestreaming and videos and that is what I would expect.  No mention on the RootsTech website yet.  It won’t hurt to mark your calendar.  Also there will be free live-streaming and videos from RootsTech 2020 in Salt Lake City February 26-29, 2020.

National Archives Hosts 7th Annual Virtual Genealogy Fair LIVE on YouTube October 23!

Here’s Thomas MacEntee’s post about it with a full schedule and links:

https://mailchi.mp/abundantgenealogy/nara-2019-virtual-genealogy-fair?e=cb7c45b1c4

#Project Genealogy YouTube videos announced for the first time.

Kick-off Family History Month by celebrating the migrations of our ancestors via a stimulating YouTube video Series.

Spearheaded by Jarrett Ross, the GeneaVlogger, and Matt Baker, of UsefulCharts, the ambitious #ProjectGenealogy collaboration features seven genealogy YouTube channels and their hosts showcasing the migration of people around the world.

Grab your favorite beverage and savor 1½ hours with your favorite beverage and enjoy the video journey. Learn the history behind various migrations, discover how to research their journey and which records to explore, and ultimately, follow the tips for writing about your ancestor’s journey. 

1.        5 Tips For Writing About Your Immigrant Ancestor - Family History Fanatics                               (https://youtu.be/qMtAI-YVeJs)

2.       How Dutch Jewish Migration Led to the 8 Hour Work Day - GeneaVlogger                                     (https://youtu.be/qbm4b5SILYY)

3.       My Family Tree: 3 Migration Stories - Useful Charts (https://youtu.be/EKJN1aH2Y5U)

4.       German Migration to Missouri - Auntie Jen's Family Trees - (https://youtu.be/D5G3QvlGrTs)

5.       Did Your Ancestor Move West for FREE Land? | Homestead Act of 1862 - Boundless                    Genealogy (https://youtu.be/T0vlFJoRuzk)

6.       19th Century Migration to America & The Railroads Westward Expansion - Genealogy TV -          (https://youtu.be/4J2UyYXAYWs)

7.       How To Trace Ancestors On the Move - Lisa Lisson (https://youtu.be/ox9JbP2iDb0)

All migration themed videos go live on each creator’s channel at 2 PM Eastern (GMT-4 ) on Friday, October 4. To ease you through your journey, start the YouTube video journey via this playlist:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5Ag9n-o0IZBXX_Yanzvh4LrOJhtlf4nG 

90,000 Articles Published on the Free FamilySearch Wiki

The FamilySearch Research Wiki has published its 90,000th help article, with more added weekly. The free service launched 12 years ago to help patrons quickly with their personal family history research questions. Explore it for free at the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

The FamilySearch Wiki is like discovering an unexpected treasure along your family history discovery journey. In a day when online consumers want what they are seeking within a few keystrokes and seconds, the FamilySearch wiki delivers. Go to the main page, and suddenly a world of databases, maps, countries and tutorials are at your fingertips.

The rest of this announcement is online in the FamilySearch Newsroom.