Family History Education

Did you know that family history education is only a few keystrokes away? You may be thinking that you don't live in Utah and therefore, can't take advantage of the world class Family History Library. Well, there may be some things that might be missed, but with the ability to connect remotely to the library for classes and such, your excused for not doing family history are dwindling! :)

FamilySearch.org has a great wealth of information and education. One of my favorite places is the FamilySearch Wiki. When I don't know how to help a patron, or when I'm starting research in a new place, the Wiki is my first stop.

FamilySearch posts it's list of webinars (past and upcoming) in the FamilySearch Wiki. There are other ways to get this information, but this link might turn out to be a gold mine for you! What I love about it is that even if I can't attend a webinar I can still get my hands on the handouts. I know we live in the land of the Internet, but sometimes a piece of instructional paper can feel so friendly and familiar in our hands! That's why I love their handouts!

Take some time and check out the FamilySearch Wiki. You might just find a new best friend!

Press Release for Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group Meeting (UVTAGG)

 Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 10 Oct 2015, Provo

The next meeting of the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - UVTAGG (Formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group) will be on Saturday, 10 Oct 2015, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo. This is the regular second-Saturday-of-the-month meeting. Information about the Group, meeting location, main presentations, classes, and class notes are available on their website http://uvtagg.org   and the press releases are at  http://blog.uvtagg.org . On the blog you can subscribe to receive the press releases via email when they are posted the week before the meetings.

The main presentation this month at UVTAGG will be by Kory L. Meyrink on GENEALOGY WIKIS: A USER'S GUIDE.  Genealogists learn that researching one’s family history is a collaborative effort.  Other folks may have already found some branches of the family tree, while yet others may have the family Bible or other family documents.  And some relatives may live near the cemetery where ancestors are buried. Research is not a solo effort and seasoned genealogists share their tips, knowledge, and experience to help others learn about new sources and repositories. We all benefit when someone else posts information of value to our research. Wikis are one of the important, yet overlooked, ways to find such information.  Kory began his career in genealogy as a record searcher while attending Brigham Young University and has been involved in nearly all aspects of the field for over 30 years.  Kory served on the staff of the Family History Library as a reference consultant and later as the editor of the library’s publications.  He is a founding director of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and has written extensively, including chapters in The Library, all editions of The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, and numerous articles and book reviews for the Genealogical Journal, Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, Genealogical Computing, New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, and The Genealogist.  He received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology, as well as his Masters of Library and Information Science, at Brigham Young University.  He is an Accredited Genealogist and a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association and has served as an officer of the Association of Professional Genealogists.  His areas of expertise are United States (Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England), and Germany.  His bio and contact information are at https://www.apgen.org/directory/search_detail.html?mbr_id=2487 and https://www.progenealogists.com/expert/kory-l-meyerink .

After the main presentation the following classes are scheduled.  See our website for last minute changes and additions.

(1)  Free State-Provided Sources:  Ready and Waiting Online, by Kory Meyerink

(2)  Fast Accurate Research:  Google, by Van Celaya

(3)  Ask An Expert (Personal Help, also Legacy questions), by Don Engstrom and Don Reynolds

(4)  Video of last month's main presentation: LDS Missionary Records, by Laurie Castillo

(5)  Ancestral Quest, by Gaylon Findlay

(6)  RootsMagic, by Bruce Buzbee

Notice that there is something for everyone no matter what their level of family history expertise. This includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, long-time genealogists, and ward family history consultants. All meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not. The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually about 80 attending the monthly meetings, including many family history consultants.  The officers are Gerhard Ruf, President; Laurie Castillo, 1st VP; Don Snow, 2nd VP; Liz Kennington, Newsletter Editor; Don Engstrom and Rayanne Melick, Membership and Finances; Bruce Merrill and Marie Andersen, DVD Library; and Chris Stevenson and Rick Klemetson, Webmasters.  Several of these will be at the meeting to answer questions, help with membership, distribute the current issue of the monthly newsletter TAGGology, and check out and sell to members of the Group DVDs of past presentations and classes. Many members don't live close enough to participate in the monthly meetings, but pay the $10 per year online dues to belong so they can receive the monthly newsletter TAGGology via email and purchase the inexpensive DVDs of the presentations and classes. Gift memberships make great presents for family history-minded relatives, friends, and family history consultants. Membership is on a calendar year basis. See more information about the presentations, classes, class notes, and how to join the Group on the websites above. You can also contact President Gerhard Ruf at  pres@uvtagg.org     (801-225-6106), or 1st VP Laurie Castillo at  gengal@comcast.net    , or 2nd VP Don Snow at  snowd@math.byu.edu  .

Are You An Indexer?

Census Record

Are you an indexer? Are you wondering where all of the "easy" stuff is? If so, this article is for you! The fact is, we have indexed most of the easy, English language records. That is good news! The not so good news is that there are still English language records available to index, but they take time, patience, and some skill that can be acquired with practice. We can do hard things!

Your assignment: Pick out a project that is entirely new to you. Settle in with a nice cup of hot chocolate, download a batch, read the project instructions, completely index the batch, enjoy learning something new, AND pat yourself on the back when you finish!  It will take a little patience and maybe more than a little brain power, but it will be worth it. Picture in your mind the person who has been looking for that very ancestor that you just indexed. They will be grateful for your sacrifice!

SwedGen to Teach at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City

 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Do you have Swedish ancestry? SwedGen is a genealogical society in Sweden that has given lectures and research assistance for Swedish American descendants all over the United States. We are fortunate that SwedGen will be making a stop this year in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The free events in Salt Lake will be held at the Family History Library on Thursday, October 8, 2015. Lectures will include the following:

9:00 am, Online Swedish Resources, by Charlotte Borjesson
10:00 am, Swedish Military Records, by Anneli Andersson
11:00 am, Finding Living Relatives in Sweden, by Anna-Lena Hultman

Learn more about this exciting opportunity for learning here!

August 2015 Webinars and Classes at the Salt Lake Family History Library

This from lds.org/churchevents

August 2015 Family History Library Webinars and Classes

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RELATED LINKS

• Download a PDF of instructions for connecting to a webinar.
• Want to attend a class in person? Download this class calendar.

During August 2015, the Family History Library will be hosting several family history online webinars as well as free classes at the library. These classes and webinars are designed to help individuals and families find their ancestors and teach important family history techniques. They are free to the public. Information about specific classes, as well as information on how to register for classes, is listed below. All class times are mountain daylight time (MDT).

For instructions on how to log on to Family History Library webinars, click on the following blog post: Connecting to Family History Library Webinars—Easy to Follow Instructions.

Online Webinars

August 1—Reading Spanish Handwriting Webinar (in English), 1:00 p.m.

August 5—Advancing Your Polish Genealogy: 300 Years of Records Webinar, 10:00 a.m.

August 13—Planning a Research Trip Webinar, 1:00 p.m.

August 15—Genealogía Descendente Webinar, 1:00 p.m.

August 27—Immigration into the United States Webinar, 6:00 p.m.

Classes at the Library

August 6—The 1798 Irish Rebellion and Its Effect on Family History Research, 1:00 p.m.

August 13—Finding and Linking Ireland Records to Find Families Post-1800, 11:00 a.m.

August 13—Case Studies in 17th-Century England Emigration to North America, 1:00 p.m.

August 15—Boy Scout Genealogy Merit Badge, 10:00 a.m. (1½ hours). To register, call 1-801-240-4673 at least one week before the workshop to find out which requirements should be completed before attending.

August 26—Italian Indexing Series

Italian Death Records: Preparation for Indexing, 2:30 p.m.

Indexing Italian Death Records, 6:00 p.m. (1½ hours)

August 27—Italian Research Series

Italian Emigration and Finding the Place of Origin, 2:30 p.m.

Where to Find Italian Vital Records: Repositories, Online, and Microfilm, 6:30 p.m.

August 28—Italian Research Series

Italian Marriage Records, 2:30 p.m.

Latin Records, 6:30 p.m.

August 29—Italian Research Series

Reading Italian Birth and Death Records Workshop, 10:00 a.m.

Reading Marriage Records Workshop, 11:30 a.m.

Reading Latin Records Workshop and Q&A about Research Problems, 1:30 p.m. (1½ hours)

August 31—Irish Roman Catholic Church Records: Better Access Than Ever! 11:00 a.m.

For parking and additional information see the Family History Library wiki.

FEEFHS (Foundation for Eastern European Family History Studies)

We are pleased to have Diane Afoumado return this year as our opening plenary keynote speaker.

Diane Afoumado, Ph.D., Chief, International Tracing Service (ITS) Research Branch, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will share information with us about the records of the ITS (International Tracing Service) and how they can help us in our research.

Although connected with the Holocaust Memorial Museum, these records may be of interest to anyone who may have relatives who were persecuted by the Nazi’s or displaced during WWII, Jewish or non-Jewish.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Washington, D.C. is the United States’ repository for the International Tracing Service (ITS) collection. According to Afoumado, the “ITS collection contains diverse information about the persecution and murder of Jews and non-Jews—Poles, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Soviet prisoners of war, Roma and Sinti, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and persons with disabilities—under Nazi rule.”

For more information about Diane and the FEEFHS Conference, go to feefhs.org.

Do You Have Ancestors From Eastern Europe?

This conference is for you!

FEEFHS.org

Take a look at the conference overview here. As a personal statement, I started going to this conference two years ago because I was stumped with my Lithuanian heritage. When I went to this conference, I realized that "I didn't know what I didn't know!" This conference gave me the start of a great foundation upon which to build. I found that I was building without out a firm foundation. Are you?

How Does the FamilySearch Family Tree Work?

LDS Media Library

The Family Tree at FamilySearch is a great online tree with many features that help family historians capture and consolidate families with photos, documents, stories, audio, etc. It isn't perfect, but it is a great resource for us. Check it out here! It is totally free and living people are private. You don't have to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) and it is totally available anywhere in the world where Internet is available. It is easy to add sources provided by Record Hints (similar to "shaking leaves" on Ancestry.com). What are you waiting for?

If all of this sounds daunting, there are also many lessons to help you learn Family Tree. There is also a sandbox to play in. If that sounds strange to you, click here to find out more. 

Salt Lake Family History Library Classes for March 2015

There are some great classes scheduled for the month of March at the Salt Lake Family History Library. For more information beyond the titles, click here.

March 7:  New England States Research Series. 

March 7:  Arbol Familiar Para Principiantes Webinar

March 14:  Hispanic Research Methodology: A Case Study Webinar. 

March 21:  Hispanic Research Series Webinar. 

March 28:  German Research Series. 

BYU Family History Library Classes for October 26, 2014

For upcoming classes, click here!

Webinar Exploring Norwegian Parish Registers

Image: Hesse 1309

Do you have Norwegian ancestors? Are you interested in searching the parish records of Norway? This webinar is for you! This webinar will be taught on Wednesday, October 22, 2014  at 7:00 pm (Mountain Time) by Anka Magee, BA, AG., from The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information on times, etc. click here.

Extracting Information from German Records

Do you have German records and have no idea what they say?  Fritz Juengling, PhD, AG., will be teaching a class called Extracting Information from German Records on Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at 7:00 pm (Mountain Time). Take advantage of this free international webinar presented by The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Click here for more information.

BYU Family History Classes

BYU Family History Library

If you are in the Utah County area, BYU offers family history classes on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month. The above schedule is for this coming Sunday, October 12, 2014. Notice the diversity of classes offered! All skill levels are welcome.

Danish Research Information

Many thanks to an old college roommate who posted this information on Facebook. Since I am a family history missionary, I am always on the lookout for new information to help me when patrons ask questions. This website looks like a great one to check out if you and your ancestors are Danish or if you suspect that your family is from that area.

UVTAGG October Meeting

The next regular, second-Saturday-of-the-month meeting of the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - UVTAGG (Formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group - UVPAFUG) will be on Saturday, 11 Oct 2014, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  Information about the Group, meeting location, main presentations, classes, and class notes are available on their website  http://uvtagg.org  and the press releases are at  http://blog.uvtagg.org .  On the blog you can subscribe to receive the press releases via email when they are posted a week before the meeting.

The main presentation this month at UVTAGG is by Sharon Monson on THE FAMILYSEARCH CATALOG:  KEY TO THE COLLECTION.  The FamilySearch Catalog is the new version of the old Family History Library Catalog which has been retired.  It now includes much more than it used to.  Locating available books, microfilms, or microfiche for a certain place or subject depends on the depth of the catalog search criteria.  Basic searches such as Place, Last Name, Title, Author, Subject and Keyword, will be demonstrated and Ms. Monson will show how you can now instantly view original records in a Historical Records search.  Thousands of books are now online and many have updated indexes and all are every-word searchable.  She will show how to filter your searches to save time and effort.  Sharon D. Monson is the founder of "GenSearch and more".  She is an author and frequent conference presenter with extensive research experience spanning 30+ years in courthouses, the Family History Library, and repositories.  Her family history presentations cover a wide range of research methods, useful tips, source document locations and unusual resources.  She specializes in the Southern US region, where burned out counties and loss of records is the norm, and has learned to dig "deeper" and polish the skills necessary to find missing documentation.  As a Residential Appraiser for most of her life, she has learned to pay attention to details.  Examining what doesn't look right, or what appears to be in the wrong place, will often yield that previously missed clue.  She feels it is extremely important to use accurate information to support family data.  As the founder of GenSearch and more, her vision is to teach younger people how to search for their families.  So that no one gets left out, she also teaches those who aren't tech savvy how to use new technology in their search for ancestors.  More information about her is available at  http://icapgen.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/sharon-d-monson/ .  

After the main presentation the following classes are scheduled; check the meetings page at  http://uvtagg.org/  for last minute changes or additions.   (1)   Sharon Monson on Treasures Found in US Military Records;  (2)   Sue Maxwell on LDS Partner Web Sites:  MyHeritage;  (3)   Don Snow and Linda Westover on Family Tree Certified Programs: TreeSeek, RecordSeek, Puzilla, and RootsMapper;  (4)   Don Engstrom and Finn Hansen on Ask An Expert (Personal Help);  (5)   Video of last month's main presentation by Don Snow and Linda Westover on  Presenting and Preserving Your Family History: You Can't Take It With You, So How Do You Leave It?;  (6)   Gaylon Findlay on Ancestral Quest;  (7)   Renee Zamora on RootsMagic; and  (8)  Marilyn Thomsen on Custom Design Your Toolbar - Amazing Legacy Tools at Your Fingertips.

As you can see, there is something for everyone no matter what their level of family history expertise, and this includes youth and those just getting interested in genealogy.  All meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public whether members of the Group or not.  The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually about 100 attending the monthly meetings on the second Saturdays, most of whom are Family History Consultants. The officers are Gerhard Ruf, President; Laurie Castillo, 1st VP; Don Snow, 2nd VP; Renee Zamora, Secretary; Liz Kennington, Newsletter Editor; Don Engstrom and Rayanne Melick, Membership and Finances; Bruce Merrill and Marie Andersen, DVD Library; and Chris Stevenson, Webmaster.  Several of these will be at the meeting to answer questions, help with membership, distribute the current issue of the monthly newsletter TAGGology, and check out and sell to members of the Group DVDs of past presentations and classes.  Many members don't live close enough to participate in the monthly meetings, but pay the $10 per year online dues to belong so they can receive the monthly newsletter via email and purchase the inexpensive DVDs of the presentations and classes.  Gift memberships make great presents for family history-minded relatives, friends, and Family History Consultants.  See more information about the presentations, classes, class notes, and to join the Group on the websites above.  You can also contact President Gerhard Ruf at  pres@uvtagg.org  (801-225-6106), or 1st VP Laurie Castillo at  laurie@everythingisrelative.net , or 2nd VP Don Snow at  snowd@math.byu.edu .

Tuesday Night Classes at the Grove Creek Family History Center

Here is the list of Tuesday night classes scheduled to be presented at the  Grove Creek Family History Center in April, May, and June. We hope that there is something that will add to your family history endeavors! A reminder that classes are from 7-8 pm. followed by a hands-on lab from 8-9 pm. All are invited!

March 2013 Classes

Today the sun is shining and it feels slightly warm! Yahoo! The above is a self-portrait (well, not really!)

The Grove Creek Stake is offering Family History Classes on Tuesday nights from 7-9 pm. The first hour will be a class and the 8-9 pm hour will be the opportunity for a hands-on lab. The schedule for March is listed below. All levels of family history interest are invited and welcome!

March 5th     Family History-A Spiritual Endeavor
          12th    Let's Look at Family Tree
          19th    How & Where to Get Started
          26th    Beginning Research

Classes!

Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com

Our Tuesday and Thursday night classes are going well and growing! They are open to everyone, regardless of skill level. Please come join us! The schedules are posted below and they are also listed on the FamilySearch Wiki. The schedule for Tuesday nights in March will be posted next week. See you soon!

Thursday Nights

Jan 10th      Introduction and Inspiration
Jan 17th      Lesson 1—The Purpose of Temple and Family History Work
Jan 24th      Lesson 2—Getting Started
Jan 31st      Lesson 3—Gathering Information from Home
Feb 7th       Lesson 4—Recording Family History Information
Feb 14th     Lesson 5—Gathering Information from Family
Feb 21st     Lesson 6—Gathering Information from Public Records
Feb 28th     Lesson 7—Providing Temple Ordinances
March 7th    Bonus 1—Search Techniques and Best Practices
March 14th  Bonus 2-Cemeteries, Obituaries, and Newspapers
March 21st  Bonus 3-Immigration & Naturalization
March 28th  Bonus 4-Family Tree Sources & Corrections

These classes are at 7:00 pm, followed by a hands-on workshop at 8:00 pm.
Get individual help with research and all of your family history questions at the workshop. Everyone is welcome regardless of skill level.

Tuesday Nights

Feb 5th       A Spiritual Endeavor

Feb 12th     Family Tree Intro

Feb 19th     How & Where to Start

Feb 26th     Beginning Research

These classes are at 7:00 pm, followed by a hands-on workshop at 8:00 pm. Get individual help with research and all of your family history questions at the workshop. Everyone is welcome regardless of skill level.

Tuesday Night Classes at the Grove Creek Family History Center

We are happy to announce that the Grove Creek Family History Center will be hosting classes on Tuesday nights. The schedule is outlined below. The classes are taught by family history consultants and others from the Grove Creek Stake area. All are invited to come join the classes. Regardless of skill level, there is a place for YOU! The schedule for February is below. Feel free to call 801-796-8805 with any questions you might have. See you there!

Thursday Night Classes

We are happy to announce that the Grove Creek Family History Center will be hosting classes on Thursday nights. The schedule is outlined below. The classes are taught by family history consultants from the Timpanogos 3rd Ward, but any and all are invited.