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From: "Upfront with NGS" <>
Subject: [NGS] UpFront with NGS - Volume 8, Number 11-1 November 2008
Date: Sat, 1 Nov 2008 08:22:47 -0400

UpFront with NGS
The Online Newsletter of the National Genealogical Society
Volume 8, Number 11-1 November 2008

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Today in UpFront

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Articles

-- Genealogy News and Issues by Charles S. "Chuck" Mason Jr., CG
-- How Two Planned Family History Projects Brought an Unanticipated Surprise by Jan Alpert, NGS President
-- Tips for Googling by Pam Cerutti, Editor

NGS News & Events

-- National Genealogical Society Adds New Course
-- Prepare Entries Now for NGS Competitions and Award Nominations
-- Save the Date: 2009 NGS Conference in the States in Raleigh, NC
-- Librarians' Day Pre-conference Event in Raleigh, NC
-- Research in the States Series Available
-- 2010 NGS Family History Conference Planned for Salt Lake City
-- Genealogy Lectures Available on CD ROM

Other News

-- BCG Recognizes Retired Trustees and Out-going President

Events Around the United States

Family Reunions

About UpFront
- Previous Issues of UpFront with NGS
- How to Submit Items for Publication in UpFront with NGS
- How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe
- Disclaimers and Copyright
- NGS Contact Information
- About NGS

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-- Genealogy News and Issues by Charles S. "Chuck" Mason Jr., CG

It is hard to believe that we are coming to the end of another calendar year. The next two months will be full of preparations for many holidays that come this time of year. Some of the holidays are religious, and some are national or regional ones. As genealogists, we want to know about our ancestors’ daily lives and not just when and where they were born, married, and died. Did the way your ancestors celebrated different holidays become part of your holiday traditions?

We had Thanksgiving at my mother’s mother’s house every year until 1965. My grandmother died that July. Thanksgiving always had an extra celebration because my grandmother and my aunt’s husband shared the same birthday, November 24th, and we always celebrated their birthdays on Thanksgiving Day, regardless of the date of Thanksgiving that year. After my grandmother died, we had dinner at my parents’ home. Thanksgiving became my least favorite holiday in the 1970s, when both my grandfathers died just before Thanksgiving. After I moved to Virginia, it was the one holiday I dreaded going back to New Jersey to celebrate.

Over the years, where we have celebrated has changed as my sisters grew up, married, and had children. As each older generation dies and new generations are born and grow up, the way families celebrate holidays sometimes undergoes changes.

Genealogy helped to change my dread of Thanksgiving. That time of year became the one holiday when I can normally get away for eight to twelve days and go back to New Jersey. Now I spend much of that time doing research, and I do not think as much about the years past and the losses associated with that holiday.

At the FGS conference in Philadelphia this year, one of the late afternoon sessions on Thursday was entitled Clear Toy Confections and Family Connections: Sweet Footprints from Scotland to Utah. The title caught my eye because, when I was a child, my grandmother and my aunt always had Clear Toy Candy at Christmas time. For those of you unfamiliar with the candy, they are like a lollypop on a stick, but are in shapes like a train, rocking horse, or other animals and objects without a stick. I always thought they were something else that came from Germany, like the Springerle cookies my grandmother use to make each year before Thanksgiving and always had around at Christmas time. I never really liked the taste of the Springerles because they were heavily flavored with anise. Although attendance was small at the lecture, we learned a lot about Clear Toys and the traditions surrounding them, and everyone stayed well past the scheduled time for the session to end. We also each received a piece of Clear Toy candy.

It also started me thinking about other family traditions related to different holidays and who will pass them on to the future generations. My youngest two sisters do not remember the Springerles that my grandmother made. This may be because they were only five when she died. My aunt in Alabama had my grandmother’s recipe, and her cookie presses went to my mother. My sisters had no idea what they were when we found them as we cleaned out my parents’ house. I now have both the presses and the recipe and may someday venture into making them, but with a lot less anise.

As genealogists, we should share the family traditions and family stories with future generations. I challenge each of you to write up just one of your family’s holiday traditions or stories and share it with your family members this holiday season. Maybe you have some item that you could tell a story about, like the cookie presses I have, and share them with other family members and the future generations.

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-- How Two Planned Family History Projects Brought an Unanticipated Surprise

My mother turned ninety in July. Her birthday gift was a Memorex electronic picture frame so that she could easily view family pictures. My sisters and I each scanned some of our favorite family pictures and transferred them to an SD card. While my sister took vacation in October, I spent ten days visiting my mother, who lives in an assisted living facility. I went to Dallas with two family history projects in mind: first, to scan all the pictures that my mother has saved that had not already been captured, and second, to transcribe information from my mother’s wedding album.

My parents, Charles Albert Nutter and Betty Jane Kopp, were married 3 August 1940 in Peoria, Illinois. The wedding album begins with a detailed description of several wedding showers, organized around three groups of friends: friends from high school, friends from the CEB music club, and friends with whom my mother shared teacher training.

I knew my mother had a non-accredited teaching credential, but our conversation around the album revealed more details. Mother attended two years of elementary teacher training offered by the Peoria Public School system. She took courses during the normal school year, which included student teaching. In the summer she went to Chicago and attended beauty school. My mother preferred the former, and my grandmother the latter. My grandmother had a beauty shop in her basement and wanted my mother to follow in her footsteps. Since neither of my grandparents graduated from high school, they did not share my mother’s interest in education. Mother said she probably would have continued college if Bradley University had accepted her teaching credential. My father was two years older, and when he graduated from Bradley in 1940, they decided to get married.

My parents met around music at a Bradley music club picnic along the Illinois River. My mother played piano and organ and took lessons at the University. My father was a music major who had a great tenor voice and could play all the brass instruments. Mother tells the story that my father used to visit her in the evening, and she would play the piano while my father sang love songs. My grandfather finally said, “Would you please get married so I can once again enjoy a quiet evening in my own home?”

Do you know the stories about how your parents and grandparents met? Do your children know your story?

The CEB club included all the piano students who studied under C. E. (Claudia) Burkholtz. The music club continued to meet until 1949, even after Ms. Burkholtz’s death.

The wedding album yielded other details as well. I now have more information about my mother’s high school friends, including some of their maiden names, and I also have more information about my grandparent’s friends who gave wedding gifts.

What activities interested your parents and grandparents in their youth? What wedding gifts did they receive and where are those gifts now?

When my mother moved to Texas to be close to my sister, she gave me her sterling silver flatware. By reviewing the gift list, I now know which friend or relative gave the newlyweds the various pieces of silver that I now own, including the iced tea spoons from great aunt Lola Kopp.

In anticipation of my trip, my mother gathered up her pictures for scanning. Her pictures include her eighth grade class at Columbia School in Peoria, with everyone named in the picture as well as the names of two students who missed the picture. I plan to forward the picture and names to http://www.usgenweb.com/peoria. The most famous member of her class is science fiction writer Philip Jose Farmer. Mother says he wrote about space travel before anyone in their class had even flown in an airplane.

Because I had reviewed my mother’s pictures earlier and taken those that included any extended family, I didn’t have any major family picture finds. However, at the bottom of the box was the best genealogy surprise. There were three journals in my father’s hand that had been recorded on major vacations. The journals covered their first trip to Europe in September 1971, a trip across Canada in June 1974, and a three-month post-retirement trip across the United States starting 8 September 1981 during which he began his family research.

Where did your parents and grandparents travel? What do they recall of the places they visited?

Until I found the handwritten pages in the box, I had no idea my father had kept journals. I have journals from all my overseas trips as well. Little did I know it was a family trait. My father had always wanted to take the Canadian Railroad across Canada, so he apparently wanted to record all the details to have a record of the trip. If he took photographs, I haven’t found them. My father’s first two journals are about places and scenery he saw rather than remarks about the people he met. The trip across Canada had begun with a trip to visit me in Connecticut; this was the first time my parents met my boyfriend, who later became my husband, and his parents. I found it interesting that the earlier portion of the trip was not recorded. Also, when my father returned after three weeks’ vacation, he worked overtime to catch up and suffered a heart attack, which resulted in by-pass surgery. I was happy to read that he had enjoyed his trip so much.

Coincidentally, this past summer I found a small, pocket-sized ringed pad that contained handwritten notes my father-in-law kept about the earlier visit to Connecticut and New York City in June 1974. Both sets of parents met for the first time and spent five days together; however, neither man made any personal notations about the individuals they had met.

In 1981 my parents traveled for three months and put a total of 12,000 miles on their car. My father began his family history research by reaching out to maternal cousins. His mother had died when he was about three and a half years old, and he only knew one aunt, who had died in the 1970s. In South Dakota, Michigan, and New Jersey, he visited Waters cousins who shared information and pictures. He properly questioned one of the family stories that our Priest family had a Mayflower ancestor. He later found research on the family that disproved the Mayflower connection.

What family stories do your senior relatives recall? Can the stories be confirmed or disproved? Might there be a factual source to the myths, or are they a product of wishful thinking?

My father followed the Waters family from Michigan back to Ohio. He followed the Nutter and Hodges lines back to New York and the Chamberlin family back to New Jersey.

When I first read his journal, I found myself being critical of the haphazard way he drove from place to place. He didn’t have much luck at courthouses or libraries because his records were not well organized and he didn’t have a research plan. He stopped in Beford, Pennsylvania, to look for records on a Solomon Waters whom we later discovered was not our Solomon. He didn’t have the Internet to tell him when facilities were open and what records were in each repository. He wasn’t able to find the Nutter plot in the Rockford Cemetery in Michigan because the records had been destroyed. When he visited the National Archives, he had to either use the Soundex and printed indexes or slowly search microfilm, page by page.

In spite of these limitations, my father’s efforts did bear fruit. In finding the 1850 Michigan census for the Nutters in Kent County, Michigan, he found the name of his great, great grandfather, Thomas Nutter, and his birth location as New Hampshire. As he noted in the journal that day, “Our next effort must be research in that area.” I have the first pedigree chart he prepared, so I can really appreciate how much progress he made after this initial trip. On the way east he also visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, but primarily looked at printed genealogies and county histories. He did not allow sufficient time to explore the extensive records available on microfilm.

In summary¸ my father visited many of the communities where his ancestors had lived and was able to travel a portion of their migration route in reverse. Since genealogy has become such a large part of my life, I am so grateful to now have his journal and to relive some of his early family history discoveries. I am also thankful to the National Genealogical Society, which has taught me so much about family history research that I will leave a much more extensive and documented family history. The questions these pictures and journals have raised and sometimes answered have undoubtedly enriched that history.

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-- Tips for Googling by Pam Cerutti, Editor

Google (http://www.google.com) has become the search tool of choice for many internet users and among them, many genealogists. In fact, people who use it to find websites containing information they’re seeking have even come to change the name into a verb, as in, “I’ll Google that term and find out more about it.”

When it comes to search results, more is not always better. If the results you want are hiding in a long list that includes lots of unwanted items, you will either spend undue time trying to identify the desirable items or abandon the search in frustration. A little more effort in defining your search can yield a much more valuable list of results.

As with any web site that provides an advanced search option, Google offers advanced search fields that let you filter out many listings that would otherwise clutter your results. Once you know the shortcuts, you can also use some of these filters in the standard search field.

Tip #1
Enter all the words that you definitely want the search to find, separating each with a space. As a simple example, I searched for a person named William Picket. I entered my search for the words William and Picket like this:

William Picket

Google found 747,000 websites for me to search! Knowing that my person lived in Massachusetts, I added this to the search as follows:

William Picket Massachusetts

This brought my search results down to 280,000 listings. This is still a huge number, but the principle applies: one additional word can whittle down your list by a quarter, a third, or more. The more terms you require in each search result, the shorter your list of search results will be.

Tip #2
Put quotation marks around any words that you want to appear in the same exact manner as your entry. Using the same example, I added quotation marks around the person’s name as follows:

“William Picket” Massachusetts

This time, my list contained only 126 items, a very manageable number. The very first listing brought me to a picture of Capt. William Picket’s gravestone and a transcription of his epitaph.

Now, one might think that the most noteworthy listings would appear early in this list. Not necessarily. The order of listings is based on priorities that may not match yours, so don’t neglect the later ones. In this example, the forty-sixth search result was a link to Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files.

Google performs further filtering behind the scenes. In the above example, it displayed 48 items initially. At the end of this list was the following message:

In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted
some entries very similar to the 48 already displayed.
If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included.

If you don’t find what you want in the initial list, clicking on this message allows you to investigate the rest of the 126 results. While the initial listings will be interspersed with the additional items, it’s easy to tell which items you have looked at because those listings will appear in a different color from the listings you have not pursued; on my screen, the links I have clicked on are purple, and all others are blue.

Tip #3
Use a minus sign(-) to specify any term that you want to exclude from your search results, again separating each search filter with a space. For example, I might want to eliminate references to picket fences or to men who used the nickname, “Bill.” I can still use quotation marks to find exact matches for the name, along with additional words that I want to appear anywhere; however, this time, I add a minus sign before each word that I wish to exclude. Here is my entry:

"william picket" massachusetts -fence -bill

This reduces my search results to 91 items, not a large reduction when the list is already short. However, let’s suppose that I chose not to use “Massachusetts” in the search. When I removed the place name, the search for William Picket yielded 1230 items. By excluding the words “fence” and “bill” as shown above, almost half of those items disappeared from my list.

Tip #4
This option is not a search filter, but it can help you to manage your list of search results. At the end of the Google Search box and below the link to the Advanced Search, you will find a link to the Preference window. If you click on this link and scroll down the displayed Preferences options, you will find a checkbox for a Results Window. If you place a check in this box, and then click the Save button at the top of the window, any item that you click on from your search results will open in a new browser window.

I find this useful because I sometimes get carried away on a listing, clicking on additional links inside the item from which I started. If I find a web site I want to spend more time reviewing, this option lets me keep that page open while I pursue other search results.

Tip #5
As a final tip, it’s easy and often worthwhile to extend the same search criteria to Google Books. Once you finish perusing your search results, notice the left end of the line below the Google title banner. Beside the word “Web” – which shows that you are searching the World Wide Web – you will see a link named “Books.” Clicking this link will apply your current search values to Google Books, a vast collection of books that the folks at Google have digitized. Your Web search may not find all entries in this collection, so be sure to conduct this search as well.

The examples used here only illustrate the basic functions described. If you take a little time to experiment with your own search combinations, you may find the time you spend Googling can pay off. If so, I’d love to hear about it!

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NGS News & Events

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-- National Genealogical Society Adds New Course

The National Genealogical Society, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, announces a new educational course offering, Working with Deeds. This latest of NGS’s online courses teaches a researcher to recognize and understand various types of deeds and to analyze the information found in them. These skills help family historians sort out the mysteries of ancestral relationships and solve difficult brick-wall problems.

The NGS Special Topics Series courses, available as downloadable PDF files, are designed for those who want to complete a short course on a specific topic and put the resultant knowledge to work right away. The NGS Home Study Course, available on CD-ROM, is a comprehensive study course that takes longer to complete but provides an overall grounding in genealogical research.

NGS online courses offer the convenience of completing a genealogy study course at your own pace. They are reasonably priced, and a discount is offered to NGS members.

For more information or to register for an online course or the NGS Home Study Course, visit the NGS website at http://ngsgenealogy.org and click on Learning Center.

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-- Prepare Entries Now for NGS Competitions and Award Nominations

One of the highlights of the NGS Family History Conference each spring is the presentation of outstanding award winners from the genealogical community. Have you considered entering the competition for one of these prestigious awards? Do you know someone else you would like to nominate? Do you know a young genealogist whom you can encourage to enter the Rubincam Youth Award? Below is the list of awards for 2009.

-- NGS Newsletter Competition
-- Family History Writing Contest
-- Award for Excellence: Genealogy and Family History Book
-- Award for Excellence: Genealogical Methods and Sources
-- The Filby Prize for Genealogical Librarianship
-- NGS Home Study Course Scholarship Award
-- Rubincam Youth Award
-- National Genealogy Hall of Fame
-- Distinguished Service Award
-- Award of Honor
-- Award of Merit
-- NGS Fellow (FNGS)

The deadline for most of the awards is 31 January 2009. Only the NGS Newsletter Competition has an earlier deadline of 31 December 2008. Because the committee receives so many entries each year, they need more time to thoroughly review all the competing genealogical newsletters.

If you are preparing a family genealogy and are not yet ready for competition, NGS recommends you review the criteria for the Family History Writing Contest. The guidelines provided, as well as an award-winning example, are excellent tools to help you write a more professional family history.

For The details for each award, including the prize awarded and the judges’ criteria, visit http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/awards.cfm

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-- Save the Date: 2009 NGS Family History Conference in Raleigh, NC

The NGS Family History Conference, "The Building of a Nation, From Roanoke to the West" will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina, on 13-16 May 2009 at the new Raleigh Convention Center, 2 East South St., Raleigh, North Carolina 27601. The new convention center offers free wireless access in the lobby.

Conference registration will be available online beginning in December. The North Carolina conference flyer is available now at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/conferences/2009/index.htm.

With lower gas prices and reasonable hotel rates, take your spouse or a friend and plan to drive to Raleigh next May for the NGS Family History Conference. If you have North Carolina ancestors, it’s a great time to do some family history research and attend an outstanding conference.

The conference tracks will cover the following subjects:

BCG: Lectures to help prepare you for board certification
Migration Patterns
North and South Carolina Research
Ethnic Research
Working with Records
Methodology
Military Records
GENTECH: Technology used for genealogical research
National Archives Research
Land Records
Research in the States: Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Missouri.

The new Raleigh Marriott City Center, 501 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 (919) 833-1120 or http://cwp.marriott.com/rdumc/ngsconference/ is accepting reservations. The conference rate is $124 plus tax per night for a single or double room. The Conference Hotel is filling up fast so make your hotel reservations early.

A second conference hotel, just one block from the new convention center, is the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel, 421 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 (919) 834-9900, or www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/index.html. The Sheraton has recently been renovated, and the conference hotel rate is $120 plus tax per night, single or double room.

A third conference hotel is the Clarion Hotel State Capital, 320 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, North Carolina 27603, (919) 832-0501 or www.raleighclarion.com. It is an eight-block walk to the Raleigh Convention Center, but approximately four blocks from the North Carolina State Archives & Library. Rooms at the Clarion are $79 plus tax per night, single or double, and include high-speed internet access.

The NGS Family History Conference registration brochure should be available at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org 1 December 2008.

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-- Librarians' Day Pre-conference Event in Raleigh, NC

Librarians' Day is scheduled for Tuesday, 12 June 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina. All librarians who work with genealogical and family history patrons are welcome. There is no charge, but participants much register by mail or online since space is limited. Registration will open in January 2009. Librarians' Day is made possible through the sponsorship of ProQuest.

Speakers will include Susan D. Kaufman, manager of Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, on collection development; Pam Cooper, winner of the Filby Prize for genealogical librarianship, on working with volunteers; and Jason Toberlin, Special Projects Librarian, North Carolina Collection, UNC Chapel Hill, on the digital resources of the North Carolina Collection and the process of creating digital collections.

Librarians who participate in Librarians' Day are also encouraged to stay in Raleigh and register for the NGS 2009 Family History Conference, which begins the following day.

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-- Research in the States Series Available

The following states are available from the National Genealogical Society, Research in the States Series at the NGS website, http://www.ngsgenealogy.org:

* Genealogical Research in Arkansas by Lynda Childers Suffridge, 2008
* Genealogical Research in Illinois by Diane Renner Walsh, 2007
* Genealogical Research in Maryland by Patricia O'Brien, 2007
* Genealogical Research in Michigan by Shirley M. DeBoer, 2008
* Genealogical Research in Missouri by Pamela Boyer Porter and Ann Carter Fleming, 2007
* Genealogical Research in Nebraska by Roberta "Bobbi" King, 2008
* Genealogical Research in North Carolina by Jeffrey L. Haines, 2008,
* Genealogical Research in Ohio by Diane Vanskiver Gagel, 2008
* Genealogical Research in Oregon by Connie Miller Lenzen, 2007
* Genealogical Research in Pennsylvania by Kay Haviland Freilich, 2007
* Genealogical Research in Virginia by Eric G. Grundset, 2007
* Genealogical Research in West Virginia by Barbara Vine Little, 2007

Each publication is 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches, slightly larger than our previous Research in the States publications. The average length is 42 pages, but it varies by state. These publications are available in print for $14.50 for NGS members and $17.50 for non-members. Alternatively, each book can be purchased as a PDF file, an "e-book" that you can download from the NGS web site and then either read on your computer or print. E-books are $8 for NGS members and $10 for non-members. The direct link to the download and purchase page is https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/bookstore/ListItems.cfm?CATID=32

Each publication includes a section on archives, libraries, societies, and other research facilities in the respective state, as well as a discussion of the major family history resources available, such as maps, cemetery records, census, city directories, newspapers, military records, tax records and vital records. In addition, for each state you will find a discussion of which records are available at the local, county, and state level.

NGS plans to add a few new states each year, so check the NGS website periodically for new releases http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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-- 2010 NGS Family History Conference Planned for Salt Lake City

Plans are underway for the 2010 NGS Family History Conference to be held in Salt Lake City on 28 April through 1 May 2010. Please note the conference will be held earlier in 2010, so save the date.

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-- Genealogy Lectures Available on CD ROM

If you were unable to attend the NGS conference in Kansas City, 14-17 May 2008, you will be happy to know that over 120 lectures were recorded and can be purchased on CD ROM for $12 each plus shipping. Lectures are available via a link, "Lectures from NGS Conference in Kansas City available for purchase on CD ROM," on the NGS website at http://ngsgenealogy.org. by scrolling down the home page to "2008 NGS CONFERENCE." This is an opportunity to hear genealogical experts discuss topics that will help you in your family research. Listed on the website is each speaker by last name, as well as the lecture track and title of each talk.

Optionally, you may access the JAMB-Inc. website directly at www.jamb-inc.com. Also included on the website are over 100 lectures from the 2007 NGS Conference in the States held in Richmond, Virginia. The tracks and topics vary for each conference.

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Other News

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-- Florida State Genealogical Society Announces Its 32nd Annual Conference

The Florida State Genealogical Society's 32nd annual genealogy conference will be held on Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15, 2008. The conference will take place at the Sheraton Orlando North in Maitland, Florida. This year’s conference features presentations by key guest Jana Sloan Broglin, CG, a nationally recognized genealogical expert, author, and speaker, and a member of the board of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. She will be joined by seven additional speakers: Ann Bergelt, Pamela J. Cooper, Amy Larner Giroux, CG & CGL, George G. Morgan, Donna M. Moughty, Mary P. Parker, Drew Smith, MLS, and C. Ann Staley, CG.

The Florida Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists will host its popular “Road Show” and will meet with attendees one-on-one to provide guidance and research suggestions. Vendors and genealogical societies will be present in the Exhibit Hall. The Florida State Genealogical Society will hold its Gala Banquet on Friday evening to award this year's certificates in the Florida Pioneer Descendants Certification Program.

Early-bird registration for the two-day conference is $98.00 for members and $108.00 for non-members afterOctober 23rd. Full details about the conference and a registration form are available at the society’s website at http://www.flsgs.org/. For questions, contact George G. Morgan at or (813) 205-3032.

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-- Arkansas Genealogical Society’s Fall Seminar “Conference Prologue”

Little Rock, AR - The Federation of Genealogical Societies will hold its 2009 conference in Little Rock next September. We invite you to attend the AGS 2008 Fall Seminar on Friday, 7 November, and Saturday, 8 November to get a sneak peak of the national conference. The AGS Fall Seminar takes place at the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ, 10900 Rodney Parham Rd., Little Rock, AR.,

Nationally known speakers Wendy Bebout Elliot, PhD, and D. Joshua Taylor will present the following sessions:
- Finding Wives’ and Daughters’ Names: Pre-1850 Sources for Women
- The Court House Burned: Alternate Approaches and Treasures
- Westward Ho! Migrations within the United States
- The New Madrid Earthquake: Effects and Results
- Mapping Your Success: Employing Maps for Genealogical Research
- Vanity Sketches: Sources and Truths Behind Mugbook Entries
All wonderful topics that will send you scurrying back to research more.

Registration begins Friday at 5:00 p.m. with sessions at 6:00 and 7:30. Saturday’s registration begins at 8:00 a.m. with sessions beginning at 9:00 a.m. and continuing until 3:30. For additional information, please visit our website at www.agsgenealogy.org or mail your registration to AGS Seminar, 4919 Woodlawn, Little Rock, AR 72205. Mail registration by October 25 to ensure lunch and syllabus. No refunds after November 1. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Events Around the United States

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November 2008

1 November 2008
Bowie, MD – The Maryland Genealogical Society presents its Fall Seminar, "DNA and Family History – Exploring the "Gene" in Genealogy." The seminar will be held at the Comfort Inn Hotel and Conference Center in Bowie, Maryland, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. . Speakers include: Thomas Shawker ("DNA Testing: The Very, Very Basics"); Donn Devine ("What DNA Can Show: Case Studies of Some Practical Applications to Genealogy"); Robert McLaren ("Managing a Large Surname DNA Project and Some Interesting Results"); and Alastair Greenshields ("Maximizing your Surname Project's Utility Online"). The cost for pre-registrants (which includes lunch) is $50.00 for MGS members and $55.00 for non-members. The deadline for pre-registration is 20 October. Walk-in registrants will be accepted at an additional $5.00 cost. A registration form and further details are available at www.mdgensoc.org.

1 November 2008
Prescott, AZ - Northern Arizona Genealogical Society’s annual seminar will feature Geoffrey Rasmussen, Regional Marketing Director for Millennia Corporation; he was also instrumental in creation of the Legacy Family Tree 7.0 software program. The seminar will be held at the Founders’ Room, Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin Street, Prescott. The seminar will be based on the Legacy Family Tree 7.0 genealogy software program for people to record and track their family history, but may include other genealogical topics not related to Legacy. Contact person is Marilyn Day, .

1 November 2008
Newport News, VA - The Virginia Genealogical Society in cooperation with the Tidewater Genealogical Society will present its Fall Conference at David Student Union on the campus of Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, on Saturday, November 1, 2008, at 8:45 a.m. . The conference features lectures on 17th century immigration, settlement, and migration patterns in the Hampton Roads area counties; Free African Americans in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina; Virginia's land records; and Genealogical Materials at the Mariners' Museum, presented by four well-known speakers: Donald W. Moore, CG; Paul Heinegg; Carolyn Goudie; and Jeanne Eubanks. Vendors of books, software, forms, and other items of interest to researchers will be available all day. The registration fee ranges are $45/$55 for members/non-members and includes a deli lunch. After 17 October 2008 please add $5. See speaker details under "Other News" in this newsletter. A campus map is at http://about.cnu.edu/visitingCampus/campusMap.cfm the David Student Union is building (10). Additional details can be found at http://www.vgs.org.


7 November 2008
Tucson, AZ - Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board hosts a special event featuring John Philip Colletta from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Williams Center, Saguaro and Kachina Rooms 5335 E. Broadway Boulevard, Tucson. Topic: How to Assemble and Write a Genealogical Work that is both a Reliable Document and a Readable Story. Colletta presentation is $15.00, dinner with Colletta an additional $10.00. Please visit our web site at azgab.org for additional information.

7-8 November 2008
Little Rock, AR - Arkansas Genealogical Society’s Fall Seminar “Conference Prologue.” The Federation of Genealogical Societies will hold their 2009 conference in Little Rock next September. We invite you to attend the AGS Fall Seminar on Friday, 7 November, and Saturday, 8 November 2008 to get a sneak peak of the national conference. The AGS Fall Seminar takes place at the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ, 10900 Rodney Parham Rd., Little Rock, AR.,

Nationally known speakers, Wendy Bebout Elliot, PhD and D. Joshua Taylor will present the following sessions:
- Finding Wives’ and Daughters’ Names: Pre-1850 Sources for Women
- The Court House Burned: Alternate Approaches and Treasures
- Westward Ho! Migrations within the United States
- The New Madrid Earthquake: Effects and Results
- Mapping Your Success: Employing Maps for Genealogical Research
- Vanity Sketches: Sources and Truths Behind Mugbook Entries

Registration begins Friday at 5:00 p.m. with sessions at 6:00 and 7:30. Saturday’s registration begins at 8:00 a.m. with sessions beginning at 9:00 a.m. and continuing until 3:30. For additional information and registration form, please visit our website at www.agsgenealogy.org or mail your registration to AGS Seminar, 4919 Woodlawn, Little Rock, AR 72205. Mail registration by October 25 to ensure lunch and syllabus. No refunds after November 1. We look forward to seeing you there!

8 November 2008
Tucson, AZ - Arizona State Genealogical Society Seminar featuring John Philip Colletta is 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Lunch included—not guaranteed after 1 November) at Christ Church United Methodist, Fellowship Hall 655 N. Craycroft, Tucson. Topics: How to Prepare for Successful Research in European Records; Lesser-Used Federal Records: A Sampling for Fresh Research Ideas Using Original and Derivative Sources: How to Evaluate Evidence; Hacks and Hookers; and Putting Up Pickles: Snares of Yesteryear’s English. Seminar cost is $45.00 and includes dinner, discounted cost for members, lunch not guaranteed after 1 November. Please visit our web site at AzSGS.com or email Amy Urman at for additional information.

8 November 2008
San Antonio, TX - The San Antonio Genealogical & Historical Society presents its 49th Annual Fall Seminar on
Saturday, November 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the John Calvin Presbyterian Church, 8102 Midcrown San Antonio. The all-day event will feature talented and popular writer and lecturer Dick Eastman, creator of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter. Dick's topics will be "The Latest Technology for Genealogists," "Genealogy Searches on Google: Extracting the Most Information Possible," "The Internet: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," and "Photographing Old or Delicate Documents and Photographs." For more information and registration form, please visit www.rootsweb.com/~txsaghs2 or call Program Chairman, Rushelle Mason at the SAG&HS Library, 210/342-5242 or email .

8 November 2008
Gladstone, OR - The annual Milwaukie Oregon Stake Family History Conference on Saturday, November 8, 2008 at the LDS Church in Gladstone from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. . This year's theme, "Fast Forward: The Digital Revolution in Family History," concentrates on computer and Internet classes, but there will be beginner labs as well. Registration is free but necessary, online at http://contractorplancenter.com/gen/. You may also register by calling 503-722-8766, or by email at , or by visiting the Family History Center in Gladstone. A syllabus is available in paper form for $4.00 or on CD for $1.00 by pre-order.

14-15 November 2008
Raleigh, NC - "This Land Was Their Land," sponsored by the North Carolina Genealogical Society, will be presented at the Brier Creek Country Club, Raleigh. Rick Sayre, CG, Monica Hopkins, Larry Cates, and A. Bruce Pruitt will present the following topics: Topographic and Other Maps for Genealogists, Maps of the Southeast United States, Google Earth for Genealogists (Sayre);Understanding Land Records, Understanding Deeds (Hopkins); Land Grants in North Carolina 1663-1960 (Pruitt); The Law of the Land (Cates). Land research is essential for locating and sorting people in large families and with common surnames. These workshops provide tools for this and much, much more. For information and reservations, see www.ncgenealogy.org or email

14-15 November 2008
Mesa, AZ - Cyberexchange 101: Learn the tech to trace your roots conference -- Mesa, Arizona Family History Expo 2008 at the Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center Street, Mesa. Doors open at 7:00 a.m. on Friday and 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. Early bird cost is only $65.00 for both days. Regular pre-registration cost for both days is $75.00.
At the door cost will be $90.00. Over 100 sessions will be for beginners through advanced researchers. Exhibit Hall will be available to attendees. Website: www.myancestorsfound.com/events/upcoming.php?event_id=43

14-15 November 2008
Maitland, FL - The Florida State Genealogical Society announces its 32nd annual genealogy conference to be held on Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15, 2008. The conference will take place at the Sheraton Orlando North in Maitland, Florida. This year’s conference features presentations by key guest Jana Sloan Broglin, CG, a nationally recognized genealogical expert, author, and speaker, and a member of the board of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. She will be joined by seven additional speakers: Ann Bergelt, Pamela J. Cooper, Amy Larner Giroux, CG & CGL, George G. Morgan, Donna M. Moughty, Mary P. Parker, Drew Smith, MLS, and C. Ann Staley, CG.

The Florida Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists will host their popular “Road Show” and will meet with attendees one-on-one to provide guidance and research suggestions. Vendors and genealogical societies will be present in the Exhibit Hall. The Florida State Genealogical Society will hold its Gala Banquet on Friday evening to award this years certificates in the Florida Pioneer Descendants Certification Program.

Early-bird registration for the two-day conference is $98.00 for members and $108.00 for non-members after October 23rd. Full details about the conference and a registration form are available at the society’s website at http://www.flsgs.org/. For questions, contact George G. Morgan at or (813) 205-3032.

15 November 2008
Nashville, TN - The Middle TN Genealogical Society and TN Historical Society Annual All Day Seminar
is from 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m at Fiftyforward-Knowles Senior Center, 174 Rains Ave. (near the TN State Fairgrounds) Nashville TN. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. . The program is "Searching for Your Military Ancestors" featuring
speaker Craig R. Scott, Certified Genealogist. For more than 23 years, Mr. Scott has been a historical researcher. He specializes in the records at the National Archives, especially those dealing with military. He is coordinator of the advanced military track at the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, held annually at Samford University in Birmingham, AL. Mr. Scott is President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc., a genealogical publishing firm with more than 3,000 titles in print.

Registration is $40 for members of either organization, $45 for non-members. Fee includes lunch. Deduct $5.00 if you do not want lunch at the center. Contact Brenta Davis, Registrar, at 615-661-9775 or email . Deadline date: Friday, Nov. 7, 2008.

Extra Attraction: The new MTGS Bible Project DVD will be on sale for $25.00.
Don't miss it! Come and enjoy the day!

22 November 2008
Port Charlotte, FL - Charlotte Co. Genealogical Society presents "A New Action Plan For Your Family History Research" by George G. Morgan, Genealogical Author, Columnist, Speaker and Educator, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Association of Realtors in Port Charlotte, Florida. Topics are: "Climbing Your Family Tree: Effective Genealogical Research," "Planning A Very Successful Cemetery Research Trip," "Genealogical Research on the Internet," and "Genealogical Research Methods for the Internet." Cost for CCGS members $30, non-members $35. This includes all materials and lunch. Reservation and lunch deadline is Fri. Nov. 7th. For more information contact:Barbara Powell at or Ken Merriman at .

23 November 2008
DeLand, FL - Roots and Branches Genealogical Society of West Volusia County meets in the Auditorium of the DeLand Public Library, 130 East Howry Avenue, at 2:00 PM on Sunday, 23 November, at 2:00 p.m. . The feature presentation will be by Lee Folino, who will be speaking about “Researching New York City Records Long Distance.” At 1:00 p.m., prior to the general meeting, there will be a basic genealogy lesson entitled, “Obits and Cemeteries” by Jerry Hale. The basic genealogy lessons are conducted in the Conference room (first floor, behind and to the right of the Audio Visual Desk). The public is invited to attend the lessons and the general meeting. Meetings are usually on the third Sunday from September through June. For more information, contact Carol Izzo at 386-734-8715.


January 2009

10-18 January 2009
IRISH GENEALOGY CONFERENCE on board the Independence of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International, Eastern Caribbean Cruise. Genealogy conferences held on cruise ships have become very popular. The price is comparable to attending a national conference, and you get a fabulous vacation at the same time! On this cruise you will learn about Irish research, have a fun vacation, and make new friends. We know that the most valuable part of the trip will be the opportunity to meet others with similar interests, share successes, and commiserate about brick walls. You are not alone. Speakers include: Valerie Adams, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland; Mary Ellen Grogan, TIARA, Boston; George B. Handran, Boston (Griffith's Valuation specialist); Michael J. Leclerc, New England Historic Genealogical Society; and Gregory O'Connor, National Archives of Ireland. COST: Pricing begins at $900 per person for the cruise and $75 for the conference. For detailed information on the cruise, go to the TIARA (The Irish Ancestral Research Association) website at http://www.tiara.ie. Any questions? Contact Mary Ellen Grogan at .

12-16 January 2009
Salt Lake City, UT - The Utah Genealogical Association’s 2009 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy will be held at the Radisson Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Institute offers a week of in-depth instruction by expert genealogists in ten courses:

Course 1: American Records & Research: Focusing on Localities
Course 2: Research of the Gulf South—Georgia, Florida, Alabama,
Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas
Course 3: English Research
Course 4: Research in German Speaking Areas
Course 5: Colonial American Research
Course 6: Effective Use of the Internet
Course 7: Hispanic Research: Discovering Your Ancestors in Spain and Latin America
Course 8: Beyond the Library: Research in Archives, Courthouses and Manuscript Collections
Course 9: (Course full) Skill Building for Professional-Level Research
Course 10: Genealogical Problem Solving

For more information or to enroll online, please go to www.infouga.org.

February 2009
14 February 2009
Secaucus, NJ - The Hudson County Genealogical Society meeting features Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak speaking on Trace Your Roots with DNA. The meeting starts promptly at 11:00 a.m. at the Secaucus Public Library. See www.secaucus.bccls.org for directions. For more information, check out www.hudsoncountynjgenealogy.org, or email .

March 2009

28 March 2009
Virginia Beach, VA - Virginia Beach Genealogical Society's 2009 Annual Conference, “Tell Me About It,” features well-recognized author, teacher, publisher, and wit, John Philip Colletta, Ph.D.. Dr. Coletta will give 4 presentations to fine-tune your genealogical research and writing in his unique, energetic, and entertaining style on Saturday, 28 March 2009, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m at Central Library, Virginia Beach VA. His topics are Lesser-Used Federal Records; Libraries, Archives & Public Records Offices: Understanding Resource Repositories; Effective Interviewing; and Turning Biographical Facts into Real-Life Events: How to Build Historical Context. You'll also find exhibitors, vendors, door prizes, free DNA kits, magazines, goodies, and much more. Registration form required plus $35 members/$40 for nonmembers. Add $5 for payment received after 16 March 2009. For registration form and details, please call J. B. Wright 757.495.0672, email , or visit www.rootsweb.com/~vavbgs.

28 March 2009
Kalamazoo, MI - The The Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society (KVGS) Spring Conference will be held at the Fetzer Center, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan from 9:00 to 4:00. Featured speaker Paula Stuart-Warren's topics will be "NUCMC & its Cousins: Keys to Lost Ancestral Records," "Tho' They Were Poor, They May Have Been Rich in Records," "Organizing Your Genealogical Materials," and "Finding Ancestral Places of Origin." Cost (buffet lunch included) is $40 for KVGS members, $45 for non-members. For a downloadable registration form, see www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mikvgs/ and look under the 2009 calendar.

June 2009

20 June 2009
Wichita, KS - The 2009 conference presented by The Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies, Inc. and The Wichita Genealogical Society, featuring Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak is scheduled for June 20, 2009 at the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita, Kansas. Sessions include:
- Trace Your Roots with DNA
- Welcome to Roots Television
- Reverse Genealogy
- Find That Obituary: Online Newspaper Research
Early registration: $45.00 [rec’d by 5/30/2009]. Late registration: $50.00. Contact for details or visit our website at: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/kcgs/

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To add your event to this calendar, please send an announcement to .

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Family Reunions

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27 April 2009
BUSCH - MOEHRIG Family Reunion at the Conservation Plaza, New Braunfels, TX, on Sunday, 27 April. Registration 11:30, lunch 12:30, business meeting to follow. Lunch plates $10.00 For more info contact Vickie Moehrig .

5-7 June 2009
QUARLES - The QUARLES Family 200 Years Celebration/Reunion will be in Cookeville/Algood, Tennessee on 5, 6, and 7 June 2009. You are invited to a reunion of the descendants of Lt. WILLIAM PENNINGTON QUARLES, RWA, of Virginia who settled at White Plains, Tennessee, in 1809, present-day Putnam County. Associated families: Burton, Hawes, Hughes, Little, Huntsman, Hyder, Simpson, Lampton, and Snodgrass. Please visit our web site often for new information at http://wpquarles2009.info. Questions? Contact Eunetta Finley Jenkins at or at 931-526-9072 or 931-260-7651 or at 33 Ferguson Avenue, Cookeville, TN 38501.

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To add your family reunion to this calendar, please send an announcement to

Planning your own family reunion? Read the popular book in the NGS Guide Series by Sandra McLean Clunies, CG: "A Family Affair" https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/BookStore/ShowProduct.cfm?PRODID=402

Family reunion planners can find lots of reunion planning info and can request a free copy of Reunions magazine at www.reunionsmag.com.

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