GEN-EVENTS-L Archives

From: Harold McClendon <>
Subject: [GEN-EVENTS-L] Genealogical Conference-Alexandria, VA
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 14:39:43 -0400

The Mount Vernon Genealogical Society (MVGS) of Alexandria, VA is
sponsoring a one day genealogical conference on
Saturday, November 3, 2001. The conference is entitled "Crossing The
Bridges of Time" and will consist of twelve seminars
divided into three tracks. The cost is $30 for members and $35 for
non-members for registrations paid by October 12,
2001. After October 12, the price increases to $35 for members and $40
for non-members. The registration fee includes
the price of lunch.

The luncheon speaker will be Linda Jonas, Director, McLean Family
History Center. She will be speaking on how she used
genealogy to reunite her family after 52 years. Ms Jonas is the
Immediate Past President, British Isles Family History Society,
U.S.A.; Co-Author of A Genealogists Guide To Discovering Your English
Ancestors (Beltway Books 2000) and A
Genealogists Guide To Discovering Your Scottish Ancestors (to be
published by Beltway Books, 2002); and currently serves
as the Director of the McLean Family History Center.

The twelve seminars are as follows:

Track 1 - The Long Bridge Back To Our Early Ancestors

(1) By The Sweat Of Their Brows. The manner in which our ancestors
earned their living is an important element in
understanding them and frequently plays an important role in their
identification. The speaker will discuss indentured
servitude, slavery, apprenticeships, occupations old and new, and some
of the common and less common sources of
information, using actual examples. Speaker is Ed Schott. Mr. Schott
is a Certified Genealogical Record Specialist (CGRS),
a volunteer Genealogical Aide at the National Archives, a volunteer on
the staff of the Mount Vernon Family History Center,
and a volunteer at the Fairfax County Archives. He is a former
president of the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society and a
member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, National
Genealogical Society, Virginia Historical Society, Virginia
Genealogical Society, the MVGS and the Fairfax Genealogical Society. He
has completed the NGS Home Study Course
and attended the National Institute on Genealogical Research.

(2) Researching Your British Ancestors. Speaker is Linda Jonas. Ms.
Jonas is the Immediate Past President, British Isles
Family History Society, U.S.A.; Co-Author of A Genealogists Guide To
Discovering Your English Ancestors (Beltway
Books 2000) and A Genealogists Guide To Discovering Your Scottish
Ancestors (to be published by Beltway Books,
2002); and currently serves as the Director of the McLean Family History
Center.

(3) Daily Life In 18th Century Virginia. The slide presentation will
consider the day-to-day lives of free and enslaved
individuals in Virginia. What was daily existence like for a woman? A
child? A slave? An individual who resided on a
plantation compared to a town dweller? What impact did Virginia's
transformation from a colony to a state have on its
citizens? Speaker is Denise McHugh. Associated with Gunston Hall for
ten years, Denise McHugh first came to the site to
prepare lesson plan curriculum guides distributed to elementary and
secondary schools throughout the nation. For the past
seven years, she has directed Gunston Hall's education department,
consisting of one other full-time staff member, twenty
part-time guides, and approximately 115 volunteers. Denise works closely
with the design and day-to-day functioning of our
adult and school tour programs. Additionally, throughout the year, she
coordinates a variety of public programs for adults,
families, and young people as well as workshops for teachers. Denise
holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Comparative
Literature from Smith College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the
museum education program at George Washington
University. She grew up in New Jersey, not far from New York City, and
currently lives just south of Baltimore, but is very
devoted to Virginia and her history.

(4) Funne With Fonickes. Reading early American handwriting appears to
be a lot more difficult than it really is. With an
understanding of some of the unique letter formations, abbreviations and
the lack of punctuation, most documents are fairly
easy to read. Actual specimens will be used to point out certain
problems and various techniques that can make the job
easier. Speaker is Ed Schott. Mr. Schott is a Certified Genealogical
Record Specialist (CGRS), a volunteer Genealogical
Aide at the National Archives, a volunteer on the staff of the Mount
Vernon Family History Center, and a volunteer at the
Fairfax County Archives. He is a former president of the Mount Vernon
Genealogical Society and a member of the
Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society,
Virginia Historical Society, Virginia Genealogical
Society, the MVGS and the Fairfax Genealogical Society. He has
completed the NGS Home Study Course and attended
the National Institute on Genealogical Research.

Track 2 - Taking The Covered Bridge Home

(1) Both Sides of the Bridge: Where Have You Been and Where Do You
(Still) Need To Go? A Librarian's guide to
sources you may have missed. The speaker will discuss using the
internet and libraries in general to further your research,
giving examples of some of the things you might find. Speaker is
Suzanne Sheldon Levy, B.A., M.L.S. Ms. Levy holds a
B.A. wit concentration in history from Michigan State University's
Justin Morrill College and a masters in Library Science
from Pratt Institute. She has worked at the new York Public Library's
Schomburg Center for research in Black culture, the
North Carolina State Library, and the North Carolina collection at
UNC-Chapel Hill. Since February 1981, Suzanne has
been the Virginia Room Librarian at Fairfax County Public Library. She
has been researching her family since high school.
She is a member of the Fairfax Genealogical Society and the Sheldon
Family Association.

(2) The Silent, the Invisible, and the Unimportant: Finding Female
Ancestors. Our female ancestors lived in the shadow of her
male relatives, her father, her husband and her sons. They were often
silent, creating few if any records of their own. Invisible,
often mentioned only by title, (daughter, wife, and mother) or if we are
lucky by their given name. More often, they were not
mentioned at all, the unimportant. Identifying female ancestors often
presents a challenge to the genealogist, but it can be
done. Speaker is Charles S. “Chuck” Mason, Jr., CGRS SM. Mr. Mason is a
Certified Genealogical Records Specialist,
specializing in Southern New Jersey and 19th and 20th Century Death
Records. He is a two-time graduate of National
Institute on Genealogical Research at the National Archives and a
graduate of the National Genealogical Society’s home
study course, American Genealogy: A Basic Course. He became an
instructor for the NGS course in April of 1996. Chuck is
currently serving his second term as President of the Mt. Vernon
Genealogical Society and secretary of the National Institute
on Genealogical Research at the National Archives Alumni Association. He
is a director of the Northern Virginia Association
for History. He served as Education Chair of the Fairfax Genealogical
Society, and taught classes for both societies and
lectured at their conferences. Chuck has also lectured at many of the
genealogical societies in the Washington, D. C. area, the
Austin Family Association Annual Meeting, the Smithsonian Institute, and
the Virginia Beach Genealogical Society. Next
spring he will lecture at the Virginia Genealogical Society’s
conference.

(3) The Law: The Ultimate Source In Genealogical Research. The legal
underpinnings in our ancestors' public and private
lives provides valuable sources and clues for genealogical research.
Rules and decisions ordained by legislatures, courts,
regulatory bodies, churches and private societies affected our ancestors
from birth to death and beyond. Speaker is Richard
Camaur, JD, CG, attorney-at-law, professional genealogist. Mr. Camaur
was educated at Georgetown University,
Washington, D.C., BSFS, MA, JD. Admitted D.C. and Virginia bars;
private practice of law since 1979, Fairfax, Virginia.
Certified Genealogist specializing in pre-World War I Austria, Italian,
California and Catholic Church records research.
Major genealogical societies: National Genealogical Society;
Association of Professional Genealogists; Fairfax (Virginia)
Genealogy Society (President 1999-present); Sonoma County (California)
Genealogical Society; Pursuing Our Italian Names
Together (POINT); Federation of Eastern European Historical Societies
(FEEHS). Genealogical lecturer. Foreign
languages: Spanish; Italian; German; translation of genealogical record
in ecclesiastical Latin, French, and Dutch.

(4) Revisiting The Records When You Come To A Dead End. Sometimes it is
necessary to take a second look at records
previously examined. Actual examples will be used to demonstrate things
to look for when the records are revisited.
Speaker is Shirley Langdon Wilcox. Ms. Wilcox is currently serving on
the boards of the National Genealogical Society,
Board for Certification of Genealogists and the Virginia Genealogical
Society. Former president of the National Genealogical
Society (1996-2000); Association of Professional Genealogists
(1991-1993); Fairfax Genealogical Society (1986-1989);
Prince Georges County Genealogical Society (1973, 1975-1976). Became a
Certified Genealogist in 1973. Became a
Fellow of the National Genealogical Society in 2001.

Track 3 - The Modern Toll Bridge

(1) Getting The Most From Legacy Family Tree Software. From world-class
merging, search and replace, and
spell-checking to powerful research logs, reports and sources, Legacy
Family Tree, a powerful and easy-to-use genealogical
data management
software program, brings your genealogy to life. Best of all, it's
completely FREE! Speaker is Geoff Rasmussen. Mr.
Rasmussen is employed by Millennia Corporation as their Regional
Marketing Director. Living in Provo, Utah, he has
attended Brigham Young University as a family history major. He also
works for Genealogy Research Associates as a
researcher and web programmer. Geoff is Vice President of the Utah
Valley Chapter of the Utah Genealogical Association,
and is the president of the Utah Valley Legacy Users Group. In addition
to his two Legacy training videos, he has published
his own work, "The Rasmussen Legacy".

(2) Scanners and Cameras-Hi Tech Tools That Can Make A Difference. The
speaker will explain and demonstrate today's
technology in cameras and scanners, and show examples of how they can
assist in the development and enhancement of the
display of one's genealogy. Speaker is Charlie Hudson. Mr. Hudson
retired from the Defense Department in 1993 as the
Technical Adviser to the Air Force Civil Engineer. He is a registered
architect and an engineer. He is an active member of
the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society and participates in its training
program by presenting tutorial courses in computer
software (genealogy). He is also a member of the National Genealogical
Society. Charlie is married to Juliette Prejean.
They have five children and eight grandchildren.

(3) AniMap-A County Boundry Historical Atlas For Your Computer. Just
about every researcher deals with the
problem of finding an old town that has long-since disappeared from the
map. Or, you have a known location but it was not
in the same county 100 or 200 years ago. With over 2,300 color maps,
AniMap shows the changing county boundaries for
each of the 48 adjacent States for every year since colonial times.
Speaker is Geoff Rasmussen. Mr. Rasmussen is
employed by Millennia Corporation as their Regional Marketing Director.
Living in Provo, Utah, he has attended Brigham
Young University as a family history major. He also works for
Genealogy Research Associates as a researcher and web
programmer. Geoff is Vice President of the Utah Valley Chapter of the
Utah Genealogical Association, and is the president
of the Utah Valley Legacy Users Group. In addition to his two Legacy
training videos, he has published his own work, "The
Rasmussen Legacy".

(4) Resources Available To Bridge African-American Family Lines. Steps
taken on the bridge: (1) Gathering oral history
and family keep sakes. (2) Validating oral history using local and
county records. (3) Display of blood lines bridging from
one generation to another. Speaker is Mrs. Karen Hughes White. Mrs.
White co-founded the Afro-American Historical
Association of Fauquier County in 1992 and now operates as its President
and Executive Director. The AAHA operates a
full-time museum of African American history in addition to a resource
library and genealogical research center. AAHA's
mission is to identify, preserve, and teach a full history of this
region and the nation. The AAHA operates with private and
public grants, donations, and memberships. Karen has extensive
knowledge and experience using county records and has
used them with other resources to document her family to Colonial
Virginia.

The conference will be held at the Hollin Hall Senior Center, 1500
Shenandoah Road, Alexandria, Virginia. The Center is
located 4 miles south of Alexandria just off Fort Hunt Road.

MVGS is a nonprofit organization and has over 250 members residing in
Alexandria, Fort Belvoir, the counties of Fairfax,
Prince William, Montgomery, and Prince Georges, as well as several
states. Additional information about the conference and

MVGS can be found at http://www.mindspring.com/~mvgs. For a brochure,
call Chuck Mason at 703-569-3469 or send
an e-mail to .

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• [GEN-EVENTS-L] Genealogical Conference-Alexandria, VA by Harold McClendon <>