Reflections - Fun North of the 44th Parallel

I can't begin to tell you how much fun I had up in Calgary, Alberta this past weekend! And how blessed I am to be able to work - speaking about genealogy and sharing my insights with other genealogists - and have fun at the same time.

While the day trip up to Banff was filled with great scenery and a chance to talk with the other speakers at the Family Roots Seminar, I was really looking forward to Saturday when the seminar actually started. I won't describe the event blow by blow, Joan Miller of the Alberta Family Histories Society has already done a great job over at the AFHS blog. But here are my insights on the event and the weekend:

• The event was well attended and in my estimation (using a visual headcount) there were about 150 attendees.  I overheard from the organizers that there were many walk-ins and many non-AFHS members in attendance.  What a great opportunity to convert them to members and bring them into the society!

• If speaking at a genealogy event and especially a one-day workshop with multiple speakers, take the time to attend the presentations given by your colleagues.  I learned not only some good genealogy tips from both Dick Eastman and Lyn Meehan, but also I was able to witness different presentation styles and techniques.

• Folks are starving for quality genealogy education.  This has been evident to me all year as I've either spoken at various venues or I've attended genealogy conferences.  The education element of genealogy will be an expanding component of the industry for years to come.  As a vendor or society you can provide all the records and databases in the world but they won't mean much if researchers - especially those new to genealogy - don't know how to access and interpret them.

• In addition, the new genealogists and family historians also see the value of a "genealogy experience." Often they are the only ones in the family performing such research and taking a keen interest. So when they attend an event with others who might be just as "addicted" to genealogy, you have to provide opportunities to network and interact.  AFHS' event did this with a long lunch break and a dinner later that evening.

• I confirmed something I already knew - I sleep just as poorly on the road as I do at home.  Oh well, it means I can be more productive, right?

• The types of questions from participants are the same at almost every venue: concern about privacy issues especially on Facebook; desire to learn more technology to expand the genealogy experience; and a need for more how-tos and cheat sheets on what some seasoned genealogists see as basic processes.

As I get ready to pass the 12,000 miles flown mark for the month of October on a trip to Salt Lake City tomorrow, my speaking tour has reinforced something I already knew: as tired as I might be from the travel,

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Reflections - A Successful Speaking Engagement

Most of October - which is Family History Month - I am on the road at various speaking engagements around the United States and Canada.  I think I am actually out of town more than I am at home for most of the month.

While time is scarce, I have been thinking about my recent speaking engagement at the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society this past weekend and what made it so successful.

First, the event was a home run not so much because of my speaking and presentation skills (which, by the way, have been honed by almost 25 years as a technical trainer in the classroom environment). This was a group effort with many contributions from the EWGS members who helped in many ways including securing my services, arranging accommodations, preparing publicity and more.

Second, EWGS was willing to take a chance.  Not so much a chance on me - I was a known quantity to several EWGS members plus I had already built up a reputation as a well-known genealogy speaker. EWGS took a chance on the fact that a focus on technology and more specifically social media and its role in genealogy would be of interest to its members. I can see how there would be some hesitation especially in populating a full day's agenda of talks on subjects such as Facebook and blogs.

From the feedback received - both via email and in blog post comments, several of the attendees were there to show support for an EWGS event but went away getting hooked on the technology used.

I also gave a presentation on Friday evening with the topic of Building a Research Toolbox.  Over the course of 90 minutes, I showed off various ways to organize links to favorite research websites and various containers for them including note taking applications, wikis and more. I expected many of the attendees to be overwhelmed by the amount of technology capable of handing organization of website links. But in reality, what I saw more than glazed-over eyes were fully-engaged faces and eyes with a busy brain spinning away.

By the end of the workshop on Saturday, you could just tell that many were excited to get started on setting up their own research toolbox or their own blog or even their own Facebook account.  What EWGS did this past weekend was a hands-down success due to lots of hard work from volunteers but also being open to new ideas, new approaches, and the willingness to shake things up and try something different.

Finally, I also had a great but all-too-brief visit with my friend and fellow genealogy blogger Miriam Robbins Midkiff of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors. I look forward to seeing Miriam and many other genealogy bloggers at my upcoming appearances and I also hope to work with the fine people at EWGS again in the future.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Video - Resource Toolbox Workshop at EWGS

On Friday, October 1, 2010, I was a guest presenter at the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society in Spokane, Washington for a special members-only workshop entitled Build a Research Toolbox.

I will have more information on this seminar and how you can have me present it at your genealogical society either in person or over the Internet.  Also, I plan on scheduling this as a webinar in the month of November once I am done with my travels this month.  You can get a peek at my own research toolbox here on DAF by looking at the menu under the masthead.  The link is here.

Here is a clip of me introducing myself at the workshop:



And here is a clip taken during the break showing the crowd at the Spokane Public Library:



The videos were taken using my FlipVideo camera and operated by Miriam Robbins Midkiff of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Next Stop: EWGS in Spokane

This morning I am flying off to Spokane, Washington for a weekend of fun with the good folks at the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society where I will be giving five presentations over 2 days. I am looking forward to spending time with fellow genealogy blogger Miriam Robbins Midkiff and other EWGS members who I met at SCGS Jamboree this past June.

I will be teaching a members-only workshop entitled Build Your Research Toolbox this evening, Friday, October 1, 2010 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm at the Spokane Public Library, Main Branch.

On Saturday, October 2, 2010 beginning at 9:00 am, I will be presenting Facebook for Genealogists, Become a Genealogy Blog User, Building a Genealogy Blog, and Google Docs for Beginners.

Not only am I excited about the trip and the time I get to spend in company of fellow genealogists, but on Sunday I will get to meet - for the first time - a first cousin on my father's side and her daughter who live in Post Falls, Idaho! Stayed tuned for the latest news and photos on what should be a great weekend.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

I'm on the Cover of the . . .

No, not Rolling Stone but The California Nugget - the magazine of the California Genealogical Society and Library.  It is the Spring 2010 issue and my article, The Day Grandma Fran Got On Facebook: Why the World Didn’t End and Why It Was a Good Thing, is front and center on the cover.

I enjoy writing for many different genealogical societies and I want to recommend this as a great way for those pursuing a career as a professional genealogist or as a genealogy speaker to get noticed.  There are many societies with publications that are in need of articles covering a variety of genealogy topics.  Check with your local genealogical societies but also check out other societies in other locations.  Even if you are not a member, most will gladly accept an well-written article that may be of interest to their society members.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

My Latest Project - ISGS Blog

You know what they say, "Idle hands . . ."  Well, I've never been one to shy away from a challenge and this one is actually a labor of love.  As the new Publicity Chair of the Illinois State Genealogical Society, I've been busy over the past few months trying to make certain social media tools such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter to work for ISGS.

This past Saturday, May 22, 2010, at our quarterly meeting, the Board approved my proposed social media plan for the society.  I greatly appreciate this vote of confidence and finally I can say that it is taking shape.

The Illinois State Genealogical Society blog is now ready for public consumption and contains lots of helpful information for those researching Prairie State ancestors.  In addition, ISGS now has its own Facebook fan page as well as a Twitter account!

If you get a chance please visit these sites and add them to your list of those you follow in the genealogy community.  ISGS has great plans for the next year including our Fall Conference in Peoria, IL on October 23, 2010.  And to top that, we'll be the host genealogical society for the FGS 2011 conference to be held September 7-11, 2011.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

FGS 2011 - Call for Volunteers!

I'm very excited because not only am I now working with the Illinois State Genealogical Society, but ISGS will be the host society for the 2011 Federation of Genealogical Societies annual conference in 2011 in Springfield, IL!

This is a great opportunity for you to volunteer with the wonderful ISGS FGS 2011 Conference organizers.  The official communication is below - please consider contributing your time over the next 18 months!

“PATHWAYS TO THE HEARTLAND”
Call for Volunteers!

2011 promises to be an exciting year for ISGS!  The Federation of Genealogical Societies has given us the honor of hosting their national fall event in Springfield, IL!  FGS conferences offer everything you can imagine, from fantastic speakers, to a huge number of vendors, and networking opportunities galore.  If you’ve never attended an FGS event, check out this year’s Knoxville, TN conference information at:  http://www.fgs.org/2010conference/index.php

ISGS absolutely needs the involvement of volunteers throughout Illinois with interesting ideas & follow-through.  There are many opportunities to work on the planning and execution of this event.  FGS offers a compensation package to on-site volunteers.  Please let us know how we can best use your talents!

Contact us at ISGS.2011@gmail.com

David Kent Coy, 2011 Conference Co-Chair

ISGS Parlimentarian

Susie Pope, 2011 Conference Co-Chair

ISGS 2012 Director, Prairie Pioneer Chair

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

My Appointment to the ISGS Governing Board

This weekend I attended the quarterly meeting of the Governing Board of the Illinois State Genealogical Society in Springfield, Illinois where I was appointed to the board as Publicity Chair.  I will be handling various publicity-related duties including creating a social media plan for ISGS in order to publicize its activities as well as attract new members.

I was honored and excited when Carole McCarty, the ISGS President, contacted me back in January and asked if I would serve on the board.  I am looking forward to working with a great team of people!

In addition, ISGS is the host society for the Federation of Genealogical Societies annual conference in 2011 which will be held in Springfield 7 - 10 September 2011.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

My Article in Speak!

I became a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild in late 2009 and I not only enjoy the service they provide to the genealogy community, but also all the news and advice in their quarterly newsletter entitled Speak!

In the February 2010 issue which was distributed electronically earlier today, my article Practical Tips for Genealogy Presenters was published.  The article is based upon an earlier post written at one of my other blogs - GeneaBloggers - entitled Speak Up! Tips for Genealogy Speakers.

If you currently present at genealogical meetings and conferences or if doing is in your future plans, consider joining the Genealogical Speakers Guild - it is a great organization!

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Help Genealogy Socities - Chase Community Giving

You can help out your favorite genealogy societies and non-profits by visiting the Chase Community Giving page on Facebook.

Chase is letting fans of the Chase Community Giving page vote for their favorite charities. Once you accept and install the application, you are allowed up to 20 votes.

Enter the name of your favorite charity on the lookup field and then cast your vote.  The Chase Community Giving page also allows to to get the word out to your Facebook friends about the charity you voted for and how they can participate.

I was able to locate and vote for these societies that I belong to:

• German Genealogy Group http://www.germangenealogygroup.com
• Huguenot Historical Society http://www.huguenotstreet.org
• National Genealogical Society http://www.ngsgenealogy.org
• New England Historic Genealogical Society http://www.newenglandancestors.org
• Southern California Genealogical Society http://www.scgsgenealogy.com

And I still have votes left! Contact me if you'd like me to vote for your favorite charity!

I was unable to locate these groups and have been in contact with them so they can get listed on Chase's site.

• California Genealogical Society and Library http://www.calgensoc.org

If you know of a genealogy or family history-related non-profit that is not listed on the Chase Community Giving Page, click Can't Find The Charity You're Looking For to see if the charity qualifies and then click here to add the required information.

And spread the word - I think if you can contact all your genealogy colleagues you can help channel this available funding to your favorite genealogy societies.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

My Favorite Genealogical Society - Must There Be Just One?

[This post was written for the 82nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Kathryn Doyle at California Genealogical Society and Library blog]

I belong to several genealogical and historical societies - both online and "brick and mortar" - and it would be most difficult for me to select a favorite.

Why? Well, each society fills a certain need in my genealogy in terms of research, education and even social networking.  For example: I don't have California ancestors yet I belong to both the Southern California Genealogical Society as well as the California Genealogical Society and Library.  My membership with both these organizations has been valuable in connecting me with other genealogists especially through social networking tools such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

Most of my ancestors are from New York so it is only natural that I have memberships in several great organizations.  While the German Genealogy Group is not necessarily limited to New York, it has access to the vital records indices for New York City and the group is based in Long Island.  I may never even attend a meeting but the price of membership is my way of saying thanks to all the ways in which this society has furthered my research.

The same goes for the Freer-Low Family Association also based in New York.  There are many Freers and Lows on my father's side and not only do I find their database valuable, I appreciate the efforts undertaken by the association to preserve my 9th great-grandfather Hugo Freer's house in New Paltz, NY.

Speaking of New Paltz, I am also a member of the Huguenot Historical Society which works to preserve the heritage of the Huguenots who settled the Ulster County, NY area in the late 1600s.

Moving over to New England, I couldn't survive without my New England Historic Genealogical Society membership.  Besides the research databases, I enjoy all the articles in their magazine publications.

And while not based in New England, the Austin Family Association of America has helped me research my Rhode Island ancestors descended from Robert Austin of North Kingstown, RI (b. abt. 1638).

Where would I be without access to all the great cemeteries and graveyards of my ancestors?  This is why I support the Association of Graveyard Rabbits and am a member through my blog The Graveyard Rabbit of New York Rural Cemeteries.

Finally, there are some associations and societies to which I belong to further my genealogy career.  These include the National Genealogical Society as well as the Genealogical Speakers Guild.

There are so many more that I wish I could join - just to support from afar even though I may never attend their meetings or use their resources.  But time and income limit me in my desire to do so.

I want to thank each of these societies for all the work they do in the genealogy community especially the volunteers involved in running their operations.  Personally, I know I would not be where I am today in terms of my genealogy education and career without them.

Photo: The New England Historic Genealogical Society, Somerset Street, Boston, MA, 1881. Digital photograph. Used via Creative Commons 3.0 License via Wikimedia Commons.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Family History Month Fun at CGSL

Well I am finally back in the Midwest after a horrible ordeal of getting home from California. Let’s just say it involved a major Pacific storm, a flight that had to stop for more fuel in Las Vegas, and then arriving home in Chicago at 3:00 am this morning.

I was invited to present at a Family History Month event at the California Genealogical Society and Library this past Saturday, October 11, 2009 and can't begin to tell you what a great time I had.  Both presentations - Become a Genealogy Blog User and Building A Genealogy Blog were well attended and the participants were both welcoming and enthusiastic.

These events just don't "happen" - they require a huge commitment and planning mostly from volunteers.  My thanks go out to the following:

• to Kathryn Doyle and Tim Cox of CGSL for all their hard work and for cranking out the publicity machine. Imagine my surprise when I saw the event listed on SFGate!
• to my genealogy blogging colleagues Steve Danko of Steve's Genealogy Blog, Cheryl Palmer Fleming of Heritage Happens and Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie for their support.  I missed seeing my zany friend Sheri Fenley of The Educated Genealogist due to a family emergency but I know our paths will cross soon!
• to Craig Manson for his presentation on copyright issues and blogging – Craig has always been a great resource for such information and I know it was important for the participants to learn about and to understand these issues.
• to Craig Siulinski of the new genealogy blog August Legacy for being the genealogy blog “guinea pig” – he provided the base information needed to create a genealogy blog in the Build A Genealogy Blog session. This saved at least 30 minutes of time which would have been spent on the logistics of setting up a blog.
• and finally to all who participated as attendees. I was able to come up with some ideas for new posts about aspects of blogging such as Labels/Tags, email alerts and more. I can’t tell you how important it is to get this perspective from new participants.

I'm looking forward to future events with CGSL!

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

A Speaking Engagement Success

I just wanted to say a belated thank you to all those who attended my presentation "Social Networking- New Horizons for Genealogists" last Thursday, October 1st at the Cook Memorial Public Library in Libertyville, IL.  I was impressed that on a very rainy night over 20 people showed up to hear me speak about the ways in which social networking is changing the landscape of genealogy.

During my talk which also included live access to Facebook, Twitter, Genealogy Wise and many genealogy blogs, I discussed what makes up social networking.  I also covered some "do's and don'ts" for users to help protect their personal information yet still reap the benefits of networking with other genealogists.

I'm also happy to announce that I have been asked to make the same presentation for the Bloomingdale Public Library in Bloomingdale, IL on Wedensday, February 24, 2010.  I'm looking forward to meeting a new group of genealogists and I'm certain I'll have to update my presentation between now and then since changes to technology occur so quickly.

Finally, I'll be appearing at the California Genealogical Society and Library this Saturday, October 10, 2009 as part of their Genealogy Blog Workshop during Family History Month.  I have two presentations ("How To Use A Genealogy Blog" and "Building a Genealogy Blog") and I'll be followed by Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie who will be discussing "Blogging and the Law - Privacy Issues & Copyrights."  While I'm there I also know I will see not only Craig and Kathryn Doyle of CGSL but also Cheryl Fleming Palmer of Heritage Happens, Steve Danko of Steve's Genealogy Blog as well as Sheri Fenley of The Educated Genealogist.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

German Genealogy Group Makes Major Database Updates

My readers know that I have German ancestry on my mother's side - namely her mother Anna May Henneberg as well as Anna's mother Frances Pressner. The German Genealogy Group has been a great FREE resource for me during my research - so much so that I decided to join this genealogy society even though I am nowhere near its usual meeting places in New York.

Well the GGG (as I commonly call it) has some great news about updates to its databases:

• 13,087 names from 54 yearbooks have been added to the yearbooks database which now contains over 140,000 names in 426 yearbooks from around the country.
• The Southern District Naturalizations database has been updated to include 6,331 repatriations, 2,381 WW II naturalizations, 856 Korean War naturalizations and 209 transferred naturalizations.
• Joining all the other databases on this site is the index to 735,333 New York City birth records, all Counties, for the years 1901 through 1907.

The German Genealogy Group website offers over 30 different databases and all at a great price: FREE.

I urge you to look at GGG especially if you have German ancestry from the New York City area but also for any ancestry from NYC as well. And if you've found valuable information, think about joining them. Membership is only $15 a year.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

A Great Find - German Genealogy Group

Two weeks ago when I was working on my Henneberg line, I stumbled upon the German Genealogy Group's website and I can't tell you how helpful I've found it. So much so that I sent off my $15 check for membership even though the group is based in the Long Island area of New York and I doubt I'll ever attend a meeting.

But this is why you might consider bookmarking the GGG or even joining:

When I couldn't access some of the New York City Bride and Groom Indexes via Steve Morse's One Step site (using connection from Italian Genealogical Group), I was able to access these same indexes through GGG's Naturalization/Vital Records Databases. I have found it to be a valuable backup when I can't get access through Steve's site.

In addition to the New York City database access, they offer a bulletin board with postings on German surnames; they offer a translation service and help on writing to government offices and churches in Germany to request records; and the newsletters are chock full of interesting data on German provinces and cities.

Make a visit to the German Genealogy Group today. And consider joining - many genealogy societies need our support and GGG is proof that genealogy societies can be based locally but still have a web presence and an impact on the advancement of genealogy research.

The Register - NEHGS Goes Green

Good news for those of us who prefer a paperless option to many of the journals and magazines that we receive!  The New England Historic Genealogical Society is now offering members the option of receiving The Register in pdf format.  Here is the text of an email I received this afternoon:

I am pleased to announce that NEHGS is now offering our members the option of viewing a paperless PDF edition of each issue of our flagship quarterly journal, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. This fully-searchable PDF edition will be published on our website two to three weeks before the printed version is released. Older issues of the journal, from 1847 to 2005, are already available on www.NewEnglandAncestors.org.

This option will enable members, if they choose, to stop having the printed version mailed to them. By helping NEHGS reduce printing and mailing costs, we can save thousands of dollars a month, go "green," and better utilize precious resources.

If you are comfortable reading new issues of the Register online, or do not presently use it in your research, I urge you to help us reduce costs and go paperless by calling our Member Services team toll-free at 1-888-296-3447 or by email at membership@nehgs.org.

We are proud to offer new issues of our eminent journal in this increasingly popular PDF online format and are grateful to those who will make this cost-saving and environmentally friendly option their delivery preference going forward.

D. Brenton Simons
President and CEO