Bring on the 1940 Census!

http://www.1940census.net/

2012 will bring us the 1940 census! Yahoo! I can't wait! While we all sit and twiddle our thumbs waiting for April 2, 2012, I thought that I would direct you to a couple of posts that are interesting and informative about what to expect with the 1940 census. The first one is by Randy Seaver, who posted a Q and A session about the 1940 census with Julie Hill of Archives.com. The second article is from FamilySearch. I saw this small post in the Daily Herald Newspaper, December 24, 2011.  It talks about the role of FamilySearch with the 1940 census. Also check out the 1940 Census website. We will be hearing lots about the 1940 census in upcoming months. A good number of us have relatives that were alive in the 1940's and they should be in this census. More family history information! More clues to work with! As I said before, Yahoo!

Happy Birthday Crystal!

Crystal Dawn Melick 1983-1987

Twenty-eight years ago today I became a mother! It was one of the most significant days of my life and I will never forget those incredible feelings of love that I felt for my new little one! I always knew families were important, but at that moment, nothing else in the world mattered. It was a good thing that I didn't know that only a short 3/12 yrs. later, Heavenly Father would call her home. Today, her memory is very much in my heart! I'm grateful for the very brief time that I had with her. I'm grateful for the journal that I kept of her life. I know that with that journal I can always turn back the hands of time, very briefly, in my mind. I'm grateful that the pain of losing her has dimmed and the memories of her life have grown. I'm grateful to know that I will see her again one day.

Merry Christmas!  May you enjoy the Christmas season with YOUR family!

December 2011

Who Am I?

As I work on my family history, I become more aware of certain traits or predispositions that I have! For instance, I have always loved rye bread, dill, beets and potatoes! For a long time I had no idea why I really gravitated toward these things. Is it the carb factor? Well, it could be! I prefer to say that these traits are a present from these people in my life:

Ray Brunski with Crystal
Photo Credit: Rayanne B. Melick

and the next generation back:

Anna and Peter Brunski, 50th Wedding Anniversary
Photo Credit: Rayanne B. Melick

and one more generation:

Frances and Joseph Statakaitis
Photo Credit: Rayanne B. Melick

and back:

Ray Brunski with Lithuanian ancestors
Photo Credit: Rayanne B. Melick

See where I am going with this? I am a product of my past! I figure that these are my Lithuanian genes speaking! Thanks Grandma Brunski for leaving some recipes for me! I realize that many cultures have recipes like these, but these are my link to my Grandma! These are also big in Russia and Poland from what I have discovered in research.

Potato Pancakes

6 medium potatoes

1 onion

Grate the above very small

Mix with:

2 T. flour

1T. salt

1/2 T. baking powder

3 eggs-beaten

Mix together and deep fry.

Beet Soup

2 fresh beets, boiled, skinned, and chopped

4 potatoes, chopped

1 big onion, chopped

Boil the above ingredients together

Add 1/2 c. vinegar and 1/2 c. sugar

Mix together

Top with a spoonful (or more) of sour cream

So the whole point of this post is this, you weren't created in a vacuum. You are a product of many influences.  What is memorable about your family? What traits did they pass to you? Embrace and Enjoy them!

Have You Visited a Family History Center Near You?

Have you ever visited a Family History Center that is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (sometimes referred to as "Mormons"? I'll bet that if you haven't, you don't know what you are missing! The Family History Centers can provide very valuable information to you. You don't have to be a member of the LDS church to go there either.

As you can see from this screenshot of the FHC desktop, there are three broad categories of help at a Family History Center. The first one is Genealogical Resources. There are premium programs that are offered at the FHC. These are subscription sites such as Ancestry.com, FindMyPast, Fold3, and others. These sites and others like them are available for you to use at no charge. The second category is Classes and Workshops. The FHC has access to over 300 classes and workshops that can be shown anytime. The third category is One-on-One Assistance. There are volunteers that are willing and able to help you with YOUR research. Imagine having someone to help you every step of the way. Pretty cool!
There are over 4000 Family History Centers in the world, including more than 80 in other countries. Want to find a center near you? Click here for help. If you are even the least bit curious about your family, come visit a Family History Center.

Legacy Family Tree Webinar Schedule

I personally love Legacy Family Tree's webinars! It is so easy to open up my iPad and listen while I am doing those mundane things that have to be done. If you have never listened to one of their webinars, now is the time to take action! You will be surprised at all of the different topics that they discuss. Below is their schedule through February 2012.

legacyfamilytree.com

Copyrights and Genealogy

GeneaBloggers

As I share more and more of the genealogy research that I am doing, I have become more aware of copyright laws and how they pertain to the various sources that I have found and shared. I am one of those people who loves to dig and find answers on the Internet. So naturally, it was time to start digging! I didn't have to dig very far either. One of my favorite podcasts to listen to is Geneabloggers Radio on Friday nights. It is hosted by Thomas MacEntee. I don't know how I missed the podcast on November 4, 2011 entitled Copyright and  Genealogy...Yours, Mine, and Ours. I listened to it yesterday and it was eye opening! Most of what I thought I knew I found wasn't necessarily true! So, here's a shout out to Thomas MacEntee for putting this podcast together. His guests were very informative! Give it a listen so that you can hear what Dick Eastman, Jonathan Bailey, and James Tanner have to say about the subject.

Happy Dance!

 THIS...

New York State Flag (50states.com)

NOT THIS!!!

Pennsylvania State Flag (50states.com)

Today I am doing a happy dance! Every once in a while I am rewarded for the hours of fruitless searching that I do looking for my family! Today is one of those days! I was searching to see what new records FamilySearch had posted lately for New York. I have a couple of great uncles that came through Ellis Island and decided to stay in New York instead of continuing to the coal mines in Pennsylvania. I noticed that there were some New York Marriage records that were new...at least new to me! I searched for the great uncles and didn't find a thing about them even though I know they stayed in the Brooklyn, New York area. So, I did what I always do when I'm fiddling around in databases that I've never searched. I put in the surnames of my four great-grandparents! I didn't get any great matches, but got the message that below are some possible connections. Two down was the marriage record for my great aunt! I have never been able to find any information on her! I was always told that she married but died in childbirth a couple of years later in Pennsylvania. Nope! She was married in New York! The marriage record gave a full name (didn't have), parent's full names (didn't have), and her birthday (only had a possible year), plus information on her husband! Happy day! It is times like these that make all of the dead ends worth every minute!

BYU Family History Classes for 11 December 2011

Friendly Little Reminder!

BYU Library

This is a little reminder to everyone that attends or wants to attend BYU Family History Library Sunday Classes. You need to register for the free classes so that adequate space can be allotted for each class. Please register by doing the following:

1. Send an email to byu.fhl.training@gmail.com
2. Include in the body of your email:
    Your name
    Date of Class
    Title of Class
    Instructor's Name

Hopefully you have discovered how informative these classes are. If you have, spread the word. If you haven't, set a goal to attend a class!

Genealogy on Pinterest!

It seems that the newest addiction in my neck of the woods is Pinterest, which in an online pin board where you can post seemingly almost anything. I have seen lots and lots of pictures of crafts, etc! Yesterday I decided that I would do a little more searching on Pinterest to see if I could find anything genealogy related. Lo and behold, genealogy is even on Pinterest! Just search "genealogy" from the search bar in the top left corner. You never know what will spark the hidden genealogist in you (or at least the crafting genealogist in you)!

pinterest.com

Ancestry News!

This press release is from Ancestry.com. It's good to see things happening with mobile apps. It definitely helps feed my tech addiction!


New ‘Ancestry.com Mobile’ iOS App Gives Users the Ability to Access Billions of Historical Records to Build Their Family Tree

PROVO, UTAH (November 29, 2011) – Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced the availability of a new, upgraded version of its Ancestry.com Mobile app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with features designed to enable more rewarding discoveries as users build, update and share their family trees. The Ancestry.com mobile app, which to-date has been downloaded more than 1.7 million times, is now available for free from the Apple App Store.

This upgrade adds three new features to Ancestry.com’s existing family history app:

Ø  “In-app purchasing,” which allows non-Ancestry.com subscribers to view, then buy fascinating historical records about their ancestors – such as World War I draft cards, Census records, birth/death certificates, and school yearbook photos, from among billions of historical documents in the Ancestry.com database

Ø  A “Shaky Leaf” hinting feature that employs predictive analytics to suggest possible new connections between a user’s family tree and undiscovered documents in the world’s largest family history database

Ø  A new merge feature, which automatically identifies and extracts information about family members from historical records so users can quickly and easily update their family tree

“Our goal with the new Ancestry.com mobile app is to enable more people to discover their family history through our billions of historic records, and allow them to share their findings easily with others,” said Eric Shoup, Senior Vice President of Product at Ancestry.com. “Our ‘Shaky Leaf’ hinting feature has resulted in tens of millions of successful family history discoveries online and it’s now accessible to our growing mobile user base.”

For users new to Ancestry.com, the latest iOS app provides an easy way to get started by giving access to relevant historical documents on the site without a subscription.  For existing Ancestry.com members, the new app gives them the ability to grow their tree using Ancestry.com records and share them with others while on-the-go. 

The Ancestry.com mobile app offers many of the most popular features available in the online version of Ancestry.com’s industry-leading family history website, including the ability to add and edit family information, view and share documents and photos, take and attach photos and create and navigate multi-generational family trees.

To get started, download the free Ancestry.com mobile app to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and either register for a new, or log in to an existing Ancestry.com account and choose a family tree. Ancestry.com subscribers can download family history records in the app free of charge. Non-subscribers pay a special introductory price starting at $0.99 for each record purchased through the Mobile app’s “in-app purchase” feature.

Fold3 Cyber Monday!

fold3 has joined Cyber Monday! Here's their deal! If you haven't looked at their databases, this just might be an incentive for you!

Fold3.com

End of RootsTech Early Bird Registration is Approaching!

Are you planning on attending the 2nd Annual RootsTech 2012 Conference? Would you like to save money? Don't forget about the early bird registration that ends on Nov. 30th. If you are a family history consultant with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints you will be able to register for one fee. If you are in the general public and would also like a price break, you can get one! For either option, go to RootsTech and register now!

Tech Tips...Again!

Credit: Microsoft

I love to read the Tech Tips on FamilySearch. I have to admit that I love the tech aspect of genealogy! I am not a computer guru, but I am willing to admit that I appreciate all of the new features  that computer programmers are adding to the genealogy software of today. One of my favorite contributors to Tech Tips is James Tanner. I find that his articles are very thoughtful and insightful without being demeaning to those who don't understand technology like he does. I guess I really appreciate his "normal speak" approach to explain complicated things! The latest article that I really enjoyed is talking about Google +. If you haven't even heard of that, now is the time to learn. Go visit James Tanner's article on Google +.  Also visit his website http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com. You'll be glad you did!

BYU From Wherever You Are?

BYU Family History Library is such a valuable resource to those who are local AND to those around the world. If you haven't taken the opportunity to see what they have to offer, now is the time. They offer short video presentations on many different subjects as well as helps to get you started AND keep you going! All of this is available 24/7 from the confines of wherever you have an Internet connection. Here is what the BYU FHL desktop looks like:

Notice the navigation list on the left hand side. All of those links provide valuable information about family history. The video tutorials are under the Education link. On the upper right hand corner is a box, "What do you want to do?" If you click that, this is what you see:

Look at all the links to help you out! More links are being added all the time as helpful websites are found. Take the time to really explore this site. I'm sure that you will find it useful like I have!

New CEO for FamilySearch

familysearch.org

This is a press release from FamilySearch!

FamilySearch Announces New CEO

November 15, 2011

SALT LAKE CITY—FamilySearch announced today a change in its chief executive officer. Effective January 2, 2012, Dennis C. Brimhall will succeed Jay L. Verkler as CEO of FamilySearch. Mr. Verkler will continue in a consulting capacity for a few months to ensure a smooth transition.

It is the business culture and practice of FamilySearch, as an organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to regularly rotate its senior leaders. This pattern assures the forward momentum of its core programs.
Over the past decade under Mr. Verkler’s leadership, FamilySearch has shifted its vast stores of genealogical records and resources to a digital, worldwide, internet-based focus. FamilySearch has developed partnerships with many genealogy and technology industry organizations, helping form a broad and deep industry community including companies, societies, and archives.

FamilySearch has helped make the world’s historic records easier to access online, publishing over 2.4 billion names in historic records at familysearch.org, including 870 collections from over 50 countries indexed by over 250,000 volunteers. During this period, FamilySearch has also created an unprecedented, free global service organization that engages over 70,000 volunteers who provide needed local and online support to research patrons and the genealogical community. FamilySearch has pioneered genealogical search, record linkage, imaging, crowd-sourcing, and digital preservation technologies.

“It has been a career highlight for me to work in such a significant and meaningful effort,” said Jay L. Verkler regarding his time at FamilySearch’s helm. “I have had the privilege to work with countless great individuals, organizations, and companies, all striving to provide the best of user experiences.”

Mr. Brimhall comes to FamilySearch with a deep background in management. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He recently served for 17 years as president and CEO of the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver from 1988 until 2005. Since then Mr. Brimhall has held positions of increasing responsibility in LDS Church administration.

“I am very excited to help lead the work of FamilySearch, to continue the great things that have been done and move forward in new directions as appropriate,” said Brimhall. “FamilySearch provides services to millions of people worldwide. We really need to understand our customers’ needs and satisfy them. Our focus will be to ensure that FamilySearch’s customer experiences are really first rate.”

FamilySearch looks forward to further strengthening its commitment to the global genealogical community, to publishing and digitizing the world’s records, and encouraging all people to discover, preserve, and share their family histories.
FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer–driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessor organizations have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

November Classes at Riverton FamilySearch Library

Time for the Saturday Seminar at the Riverton FamilySearch Library. It will be held next Saturday, November 19, 2011. See flyer below and pass the word!

Are Your Family Histories Snoozers?

Photo Credit: LDS Magazine

LDS Living Magazine is carrying a four part series entitled "How to Write a Family History Worth Reading!" That is definitely one of my goals! I have a few family histories that I love, but to most people they are snoozers! Why? Because they start with "Peter Peterson was born..." In this first part of the series, author Sunny Morton gives us a few pointers on how to start a family history worth reading! I found the article to be enlightening and I know that you will too! Give it a shot!

UVTAGG November Meeting (formerly UVPAF User's Group)

Our Next Meeting

12 Nov 2011from 9 AM to noon

Claire Brisson-Banks			Topic: The Perfect Social Media: Family History & Genealogy
We'll discuss WEB 2.0 Internet-based tools that assist with connecting and keeping in touch with family while locating new family information and staying up-to-date with genealogical technology and social media.

Photo Credit: UVTAGG

Did you know that the UVTAGG group can be useful to you even if you don't live in the area? The group has a fantastic group of links and class outlines that are online and that you are able to access. To access, go to UVTAGG and click on anything that appeals to you under the Menu list on the left side of the screen. Another new way to learn! I'm all for it!

BYU Family History Classes for 13 November 2011

Disasters and Your Precious Family History Records!

If your family faced a disaster, would all of your hard work and family records survive? I think about this every once in awhile, but always put it in the back of my mind and say "it will never happen to me!" Well, I should think about this and be more proactive because I live in an area where we are all sitting on a fault line. Bring on the earthquakes! Seriously, I spent the month of September in Europe. One of the last places we stayed was in the Cinque Terre, Italy. Five little towns on the Mediterranean Sea. A bit of paradise! Well, if you have seen the news lately, you probably have heard that two of the five towns were hit by tremendous flooding and mudslides. It was so hard to see the videos and recognize that I was just in that very spot a month ago. Who could have predicted the future?



So, are your records protected? I will definitely be working on mine. I do a fairly decent job of backing things up and making copies, but what happens if I die and no one wants my records. What happens if family members just start junking my precious records? I found this out the hard way when a great aunt of mine died and I had no idea. When I started researching and went back to where she lived, I was told that her husband had tossed everything so that he could sell the house! I was heartbroken!

I ran across this article in the FamHist blog. It was interesting and gave me important food for thought. It gives a sample codicil that can be written up and put with your will. Since we have just updated our wills and such, this was perfect timing. I didn't even know that such a thing could be done.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...

Facebook Pages vs. Facebook Groups?

Thomas MacEntee (one of my personal favorites!) hosted an Explorinar on Facebook Pages vs. Facebook Groups a few days ago. Ever heard of an Explorinar? Me either! Here is the official definition, not from Webster, but from Thomas MacEntee himself! "A casual exploration of a website, and application or some other program that could be useful to genealogists and family historians." Brings a little clarity to the subject, don't you think?

Explorinar: Facebook Pages vs. Facebook Groups from Thomas MacEntee on Vimeo.

Have You Heard of Diigo?

Diigo V5: Collect and Highlight, Then Remember! from diigobuzz on Vimeo.

Have you ever heard of Diigo? Did you know that it can help you stay organized in your genealogy research? Denise Barrett Olson wrote a great article about Diigo in June for the TechTips blog on FamilySearch.org. More ideas to make our lives easier!

Genealogy Guys Podcasts!

Itching for a good podcast with a genealogy subject?  Look no further than these two guys! 

The Genealogy Guys Drew (l) and George (r)  Photo Credit: genealogyguys.com

If you haven't checked out the GenealogyGuys podcasts lately, you have a new assignment! The genealogy world is changing so quickly that it is always fun to hear about new and upcoming events, ideas, and products! The podcasts are easy to listen to and are very informative, plus Drew Smith and George Morgan keep it moving and light!

To All BYU FHL Sunday Class Patrons!

Photo Credit: byu.edu

Beginning November 1st, you will need to register for classes by sending an email to BYU FHL Sunday Training.

Please include in the body of the email:
Your name
Date of Class
Title of Class
Instructor's Name

This change has been made to better utilize the resources and teachers at the Family History Library. Spread the word about this change!

It's Not a Crime to be a Young Genealogist!

Clip art: Microsoft Office
Genealogy has the bad reputation of being for "old people" only. A couple of days ago I stumbled upon a genealogy blog that I really like! Furthermore, it is written by a YOUNG person with a really great perspective on the world! I checked in today to read what she had to say. Her post was about sourcing. Elyse explained some important things to think about when you are sourcing. How do you know the information is right? What if you get conflicting information? Who do you trust? Well, consider the source! You can read it too at http://elysesgenealogyblog.com/. While you are there, check out her whole blog. It's fun! :) Yes, young people do have a place in genealogy! If you are out there, please make yourselves known! 

Publishing Your Family History

Photo Credit: Rayanne B. Melick

I think that all of us genealogists want to publish at some point. The problem is that we always have "one more thing to prove" before we get it published. With the advances in the digital world, why wait to publish your book? Publish online! I remember trying to get a relative to share info with me (I would share also), but the same old line was, "You'll get to read it when I publish it." Sadly, it was never published as this relative died a few years after this pronouncement to me. I really wish she would have shared. We could have put our heads together to help each other. That is what the FamilySearch program is trying to get us to do. So, let's learn a little about how to publish online. There are all sorts of ways to get your information out there. I came across an article by Denise Barrett Olson. She wrote about Personal Publishing: Blog Your Family History for the TechTips blog at FamilySearch.org. There were some really good ideas in it. See for yourself!

Online Film Ordering

The following is from the LDS-Ward-Consultant Mailing List. Don't you love how things are moving forward!

Online Film Ordering is now available for all of North America.

For those of you who are not directors, but would like to learn how Online Film Ordering works, visit https://www.familysearch.org/films. You will see a link that says *Ordering Help*. Click that and then click the *User Guide* link for a .pdf document that walks you though ordering films.

On 19 October, the last area of North America will have been moved to this way of ordering films and Inventory Manager will be "turned off" for all of North America and Church Distribution will no longer accept film orders by telephone. So, if you have not yet learned about this new method of ordering. please visit our website and get acquainted with it.

We have a team of support agents who will be more than happy to answer any questions you have. From the Online Film Ordering website (see above), click *Feedback* which you'll see along the upper right side of the screen. Then click *Contact FamilySearch* in the list on the right. You will be able to speak to us by telephone, by email, or by live chat.

Nancy Tychonievich
FamilySearch
Patron Services - Online Film Ordering Team

Are You a Blog Reader Addict?

Header Credit: http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/index.html

I really like to read blogs. Some of the blogs I read are serious, some are funny, and some are informational. I try to keep track of new posts, but sometimes that gets a little hard. So...enter Google Reader. It lists all of your favorite blogs together in a list so that you don't have to hunt for them. Try Google Reader! If it scares you, you can cruise on over to DearMyrtle.com and her post on 12 Oct. 2011. It will hold your hand through the Google Reader setup process.

BYU Family History Classes for 23 October 2011

Are You Boring Your Family?

Clip Art Credit: http://www.qsl.net/w/wm8c//radio_clip_art.htm

I love genealogy! But...my family gets bored with my historical ramblings! What's a girl to do? Well, you might listen to this episode of GeneaBloggers Radio. This episode talks about ways to not bore your family, but get them involved! I'm definitely going to try it!

Listen to internet radio with GeneaBloggers on Blog Talk Radio

"GeneaBloggers Radio is about the most fun you can have with your genealogy on a Friday night" says Thomas MacEntee. I agree!

If You Love Webinars...

Here is the schedule of  the webinars that will be presented at LegacyFamilyTree for the coming weeks. I really like these webinars because they are practical and give me good tips in various areas. I have found that webinars are one source of education that I really use. Try it! You will like it too!

www.legacyfamilytree.com/webinars

Fold3.com Video Tutorials!

Photo Credit: www.fold3.com

Footnote.com became Fold3.com in August. There are three new video tutorials and help topics in the new Fold3 training center. They will give you some good help navigating their new site!

• An Introduction to Fold3
• How to Search on Fold3
• Browse for Records on Fold3

"Each video is 4-5 minutes long and designed to provide tips and strategies to help you make the most of your Fold3 membership.
Report to the Fold3 Training Center to find links to one-page explanations of the most common how-to topics. Keep checking back as we add more video tutorials and help topics." (Fold3.com)

Riverton FamilySearch Library October Classes

Riverton FamilySearch Library

13400 South and Bangerter

(Four-Story Building East of Home Depot)

Free Saturday Seminar–October 15, 2011

9:00 a.m. to Noon

9:00 a.m.:  Keynote Speaker: Randy Bryson

“FamilySearch Scanning¾The Story of Opening the Granite Mountain Records Vault”

10:00 a.m. Choose one of the following four classes:

·        “Making Google Work for You”¾Sue Maxwell

• “Introduction to Legacy 7.5 Tree Maker and Legacy FamilySearch”¾ Carl Holland
• “Where the Pros Search...Many Free, Wonderful Genealogy Sites Exist. Search from Your Home. Search for That Missing Link.”¾Ron Ray

·         “Researching Your Scottish Ancestry”¾Raymon Naisbitt

11:00 a.m. Choose one of the following four classes:

·        “Strategies for Searching¾Using Ancestry.com”¾Sue Maxwell

·        “New England Research”¾ Marilyn Markham

• “Bits and Pieces: How to Write Your Personal History”¾Rose Ann Fisher
• “Temple Submission Policies"¾Ray Garrison

Details on www.familysearch.org/fhc/riverton

What Records Do I Search?

Ever have trouble figuring out what records you need to search? Here's a quick, easy chart to give you some direction! Happy hunting!

Source: FamilySearch

UVTAGG (formerly Utah Valley PAF Group)

Next meeting of the UVTAGG is tomorrow,  Saturday, Oct 8, 2011, from 9-12. For more information, go to http://uvpafug.org/.

8 Oct 2011

Presenter:

Loretta Evans

Topic: Dead Men Do Tell Tales

Photo Credit: http://uvpafug.org/

BYU Family History Classes for 9 October 2011

Back in the Saddle Again!

I'm back from my once in a lifetime anniversary/family history trip. I will post a little about that later. For now, I have a few other things to post about upcoming classes!

Family History/30th Anniversary Trip

I am off for a once in a lifetime trip! Back the beginning of October. I will have lots to post then!

The Rest of the Story!

Photo Credit: www.3wordjournal.com

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about a class that Randal Wright was teaching called "3 Word Journals." I moaned that I was going to miss it at the Provo Library but then I discovered that I could catch the class later at the Riverton FamilySearch Library. I was stoked! Well, that class was this past weekend and I loved it! Brother Wright is entertaining and serious at the same time. He tells great stories about his childhood AND the lessons that he learned. What the class boiled do to was being more aware of what you do in your life. What do you observe? What experiences are you having? Brother Wright talked about journals with a passion! When he asked the audience why they didn't journal, most of them said that they didn't have time, their lives are too boring to record, can't stand to write, blah, blah, blah! We have all used those excuses! Brother Wright introduced a new concept to us, or at least to me. So, here's the scoop! I DO have permission from Brother Wright to give you the basic concept of 3 word journaling and NO, I am not getting compensated in any way for my insights. These words are mine and mine alone.

1. Keep a small notebook with you all the time.
2. Write down everyday experiences in just 3 well-chosen words.
3. Go back and spend 15 minutes elaborating on your three words.
4. Glean the life lesson learned from your experience.
5. File under topics.
6. Keep doing this. Pretty soon you will have a whole file of life experiences from which to draw talks, lessons, and helps for your loved ones.

For some really cool examples of how this works, go to 3wordjournal.com and look at the sample entries on the left side of the page. They really are insightful and they show you exactly how fun this can be! As a parting thought, below are the lessons that you will learn from The 3 Word Journal according to www.3wordjournal.com.

1. Record a journal entry in approximately 10 seconds

2. Recall and record all the significant experiences and lessons from your life

3. File every lesson from life by topic and have them instantly available

4. Become a far more interesting conversationalist

5. Prepare effective speeches, lessons and presentations very quickly

6. Easily write a multi-volume history of your life to leave for posterity

7. Have an endless supply of material for teaching, reminiscing, books and blogs

8. Enjoy a hobby for life that you will never tire of

9. Greatly increase your knowledge and make better decisions

10. Feel increased gratitude for what you have and find more happiness in life

11. Discover your strengths and talents and how to use them to reach your potential

12. Realize the weaknesses that are holding you back and how to overcome them

13. Understand more clearly why you feel and act the way you do

14. Set 100 life goals that will provide both direction and motivation to your life

15. Discover your personal mission in life

Major Upgrade to Ancestry's U.S. Yearbooks Collection!

U.S. Yearbooks Collection Gets Major Upgrade

From Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com has announced a major expansion of the U.S. school yearbooks collection available online. The newest upgrade brings the totals to over 35,000 yearbooks and covers the years 1884-2009. According to Ancestry.com that collection is about 155 million records! Wow! The U.S. Yearbook Collection includes close to seven million images from thousands of U.S. high schools, junior highs, academies, colleges and universities.

Oh Thank Heaven for '77!!!

Have You Heard about Billion Graves?

Lase weekend I was able to attend the Saturday seminar held at the Riverton FamilySearch Library. One of the classes I attended was about Billion Graves, a new application created to collect and upload cemetery headstones. Below is the information about Billion Graves that is provided by FamilySearch.org.

Logo Credit: www.billiongraves.com

Cemetery

Application makes it possible to search and display cemetery and burial information.

Volunteers

Application makes it possible for Volunteers to "Give Back" by contributing family history resources to be used by others.

Collect photos of the headstones in your local cemetery with our iPhone or Android camera applications. Then upload the mapped-out photos here. Transcribe information from uploaded headstone photos - then descendants everywhere can easily search for their ancestors. Search for your ancestors' graves using our easy search. You can access their headstone records, photos of headstones, and accurate locations of all the graves. 

Try it out! One more thing you can do with your iPhone! (or Android)

Answers to Burning Questions!

Logo credit: www.fold3.com

Last week I wrote about the name change from Footnote.com to Fold3.com. Along with the name change, the site is changing some too! On the official Fold3 blog, I found that the latest post answers those burning questions that we all are asking! What is happening?!!! Read the latest post by clicking on the above Fold3 blog link!

It's Back to School Time!

Listen to internet radio with Geneabloggers on Blog Talk RadioTonight is another great episode of GeneaBloggers Radio! If you haven't taken the opportunity to listen in, you really need to try it. Thomas MacEntee is the host and he does a really good job with the special guests as well as entertaining us! The program will start at 10 pm Eastern time, 9 pm Central time, 8 pm Mountain time and 7 pm Pacific time. The topic tonight is entitled Genealogy Back to School. The guests will include: Louise St. Denis of the National Institute of Genealogical Studies; Angela McGhie of the ProGenealogy Study Group; and Pat Stamm of the National Genealogical Society Home Study Course. As you can tell, the discussion will center around the educational programs available for genealogists and family historians. Thomas MacEntee is always full of surprises so I'm sure other topics in genealogy are bound to crop up! Tune in tonight and join the fun! "GeneaBloggers Radio is about the most fun you can have with your genealogy on a Friday night!" Those are Thomas MacEntee's words to live by!