2010 NGS Family History Conference - Salt Lake City, Utah

Gala Event: A Celebration of Family History

2010-04-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is enjoying the conference, learning new information, techniques and resources to aid them in their research. There is plenty to see and do!

Some reminders about tonight's activity at the conference center on North Temple

Arrive early to ensure your seats
Don't bring large bags with you

Come and enjoy the celebration!

Presenter Profile: Debra Mieszala

2010-04-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

Debra Mieszala, Certified Genealogist(SM), has been involved in genealogical research for over 25 years. Much of her work involves locating family members of past war MIAs for the Army and Air Force. She formerly worked under court order as a certified Confidential Intermediary (CI) in Illinois, assisting people in adoption situations to reconnect. Debbie is earning a certificate in paralegal studies.

In addition to presenting at the national conference level, she has taught classes at SLIG. Her articles have been published in _OnBoard!_, _NGS Magazine_, and _The Digital Genealogist_.

Debbie was a host society representative for the NGS 2006 Chicago conference, and had an active role as Registration Chair. She created, maintained, and contributed much content for the CGC/NGS conference blog.

She is looking forward to another visit to Salt Lake City!

She is teaching "The Curious Case of the Disappearing Dude" on Thursday at 2:30, "Two Dan Dyes: Correcting Past Errors with Solid Evidence" on Saturday at 11 am and "Patently Unique: Locating Patent Records Online and Off" on Saturday at 4pm.

Presenter Profile: Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens

2010-04-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

Certified Genealogist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer, Liz is the creator of the software program Clooz—the electronic filing cabinet for genealogical records. She is managing editor of the NGS Magazine. She authored the books Plymouth's First Century: Innovators and Industry, a photo history of Plymouth, Michigan, and Plymouth in Vintage Postcards, a postcard history of 20th century Plymouth. Liz is also the executive director at the Plymouth Historical Museum in Plymouth, Michigan.

Liz is teaching "Effective Internet Searching" Thursday at 9:30am, "Researching Your Irish Here Before Going There" Thursday at 2:30pm, and "Is My Writing Ready for the Popular Press?" Saturday at 1pm

Presenter Profile: Laura Prescott

2010-04-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Laura G. Prescott is a professional researcher, writer, and speaker. She worked for the New England Historic Genealogical Society for seven years before starting her own research business. Originally from Charleston, West Virginia, she has lived in New England for over thirty years.

Laura graduated with a B.A. in History from Dartmouth College in 1980, ultimately putting her degree to good use over a decade later when she discovered a latent passion for genealogy.

Laura is the president of the Association of Professional Genealogists, genealogy project manager for the Nickerson Family Association, and a consultant for Footnote.com. She lectures and writes for national audiences on a variety of genealogical topics. Her specialties include the use of manuscripts in genealogical research, genealogy on the Internet, genealogy for Mac users, and merging history with genealogy.

Her articles have appeared in Ancestry, New England Ancestors, Genealogical Computing, NGS NewsMagazine, and Digital Genealogist.

Laura is teaching "Diving Deeper into the Unique Records on Footnote.com" on Saturday at 9:30 am.

Presenter Profile: Kory Meyerink

2010-04-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

Kory Meyerink has been involved in nearly every aspect of genealogy and family history for the past 20 years, beginning as a record searcher while attending Brigham Young University where he received an Associate in Family and Local History, as well as a B.S. in Psychology. He later completed a Masters of Library and Information Science. Spending two years in Germany gave him a fluency that has served him well in his professional research. He became accredited in four areas (Germany, Midwest, Eastern and New England U.S.), specializing in tracing the origins of German and Dutch immigrants, before joining the staff of the Family History Library as a reference consultant.

Later, as the library’s publication coordinator, he developed instructional and reference material for the thousands of Family History Centers supported by the library. He also served as the primary content consultant for the PBS Ancestors television series. In his recent work developing electronic products, Kory’s tasks included serving as product manager for the LDS Family History Suite and also developed the largest genealogical gazetteer and largest genealogical bibliography available on CD-ROM.

As a teacher, Kory has spoken at many local, state, and national genealogical conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada, including NGS, FGS, GENTECH, and, since 1991, the annual BYU Family History Conference. Since 1991, he has also served as adjunct history faculty for that university’s Salt Lake Center. As the founding director of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, he developed one of the nation’s largest such institutes. He has written extensively, including chapters in The Library, both editions of The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, as well as 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 also writes for both Ancestry and Heritage Quest magazines. He is the author/presenter of Doing Genealogy: Foundations for Successful Research, an audio presentation with workbook. For his most recent book, Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records (Ancestry: Salt Lake City, 1998), he served as overall editor as well as primary author.

Kory is teaching "Documenting the Overland Journey with Diaries" Wednesday at 2:30 pm, "Has It Already Been Done? German Compiled Records" Friday at 8 am, and "City Directories: More than Just Census Substitutes" Saturday at 2:30 pm.

Presenter Profile: Patricia Shawker

2010-04-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

Patricia O'Brien Shawker, CG is a professional genealogist whose interests are Maryland genealogy and research at the National Archives; certified since 1999. She is an alumna of the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR), she received a certificate of completion of the NGS American Genealogy: A Basic Course, and for the Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis at Samford University. She has lectured at numerous genealogy conferences including the annual meetings of the National Genealogical Society. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), the NSDAR, the National Genealogical Society, and the Maryland Genealogical Society. She is a past treasurer of the National Genealogical Society, and a past Assistant Director of NIGR and as been the Director of NIGR since October 2007.

Patricia is teaching "Before Statehood: Territorial Papers" on Wednesday at 2:30 PM, "ABCs of NARA Workshop" on Friday at 2:30 pm and "Passport Applications, 1795–1925" on Saturday at 11 AM.

Presenter Profile: Stephen Danko

2010-04-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

Stephen J. Danko, PhD, PLCGS

Steve Danko is a Regulatory Affairs Professional and Professional Genealogist based in San Francisco, California. He is the author of Steve's Genealogy Blog, a daily genealogy research blog that was named one of the 25 Most Popular Genealogy Blogs for 2009 by ProGenealogists and one of the 40 Best Genealogy Blogs for 2010 by Family Tree Magazine.

Steve's genealogy research interests center on Eastern European Genealogy (especially Polish Genealogy), Immigration, and Naturalization. He has conducted research on site in Poland and Lithuania, where he has visited the villages of his ancestors, analyzed court records, census records, and church records at the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw, the Lithuanian State Historical Archives, and at local parish churches.

Steve's research has led him to an appreciation of history and languages. He has formally studied Latin, German, and Polish, and has acquired a working knowledge of several other languages. He is the administrator for the Danko and Niedzialkowski One-Name Studies and the Danko and Niedzialkowski DNA Projects.

Steve is teaching "Polish Court Records and Census Records" Friday at 9:30 AM.

Presenter Profile: Kelly Summers

2010-04-25T03:55:00.000-07:00

Kelly R. Summers is an Accredited Genealogist® Professional. She received her B.A. in Family and Community History from BYU. Her specialty is U.S. research with expertise in U.S. Midwestern. Kelly is also experienced in Spanish & Latin American research. Kelly teaches and lectures on many genealogical topics including methodology, technology, and specific record types found in U.S. and Spanish research. She currently teaches Family History & Genealogy part-time at Brigham Young University. Kelly is serving as a Commissioner for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen).

Kelly is teaching "Getting to Know ICAPGen" on Saturday at 2:30 PM.

Presenter Profile: Maureen Taylor

2010-04-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

Maureen Taylor is an internationally known expert on photo identification. She travels extensively giving presentations on photo identification, photo preservation, and family history. She has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and on NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s The View, and NPR.

She’ll be offering individual consultations at the conference. Email her at mtaylor@taylorandstrong.com for more information. She’ll be signing books at the NEHGS booth during the event.

Maureen is teaching "Kodak Moments and Technicolor Dreams: Twentieth-century Photos in the Family Archive" on Friday at 2:30 pm, "Immigrant Clues in Photographs" on Saturday at 8:00, "From Index Cards to Powerpoint and Beyond" on Saturday at 12:15 and " "Every Picture Tells a Story": Dating Family Photographs" on Saturday at 4:00pm.

Presenter Profile: Bruce Buzbee

2010-04-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

Bruce Buzbee is the founder and president of RootsMagic, Inc., and the author of RootsMagic genealogy software. Bruce has been writing genealogy software for over 18 years. Bruce has taught thousands of users the ins and outs of RootsMagic, from the basics for beginners to advanced topics for the genealogy professional. Bruce is also the webmaster of Family-Reunion.com, the world's most popular family reunion planning site.

Bruce is teaching "What's New in RootsMagic 4" Friday at 2:30 pm.

Presenter Profile: Lynda Childers Suffridge

2010-04-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

Lynda Childers Suffridge, BSE, MSE, a graduate of the University of Arkansas, completed six hours post-graduate work at the University of Central Arkansas, attended Draughon School of Business, and completed the Dale Carnegie Course in Public Speaking. She is a native and resident of Arkansas, is vice president of the National Genealogical Society Board of Directors, a Life Member of NGS, and serves as chair of the NGS Awards Committee. She currently serves as secretary of the Arkansas Genealogical Society. A twelve year employee, now retired, of the Arkansas History Commission, she is past-president of the Arkansas Genealogical Society, Heritage Seekers, and Arkansas Pioneers. She is author of NGS Research in the States Series: Arkansas; co-editor of the Perry County [Arkansas] Historical & Genealogical Society Newsletter, and co-editor of Perry County, Arkansas: Its Land & People. She was the 2007 winner of the “Arkansas Genealogical Society Family History Writing Contest Bobbie Jones McLane Award” and was presented the 2008 “Arkansas Historical Association Walter L. Brown Award for Best Family History in a Local Journal” for her article “Descendants of Reuben Searcy and Isabella McDonald.” Ms. Suffridge lectures in Course III at the Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, at NGS and FGS Conferences, and to state and local organizations.

She will be presenting lectures on using the United States Census to trace your ancestors in the Beginner Workshops being held on Tuesday and on Saturday mornings.

Traveling to Salt Lake--Bringing the kids.

2010-04-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

So what is there to do if you are bringing the family? I hope you are--and I hope you have signed up for the Kids Camp that is going on on Saturday. It is my passion in life to envelop my children in the larger picture--an extended family, and teach them about their heritage. And what better way than to bring them to a genealogy conference?

So--since I am telling you about traveling to Salt Lake, what is there for the family to do in and around the conference?

Two great resources are one trax stop, or about a two block walk west from the conference over at the Gateway Center. The Clark Planetarium is a favorite of our family's. There are interactive displays about the planets, laser shows and an Imax theatre, but my kids' favorite is "Newton's Daydream," a two story audio-kinetic maze of balls and bells and whistles that you can interact with. Exhibits are free, times and prices for the shows are at the website.

Likewise at the Gateway Center is the children's museum known as the Discovery Gateway. This museum is perfect for the 5-10 year old crowd, but all ages can find something interesting here. There is an interactive town with a store, farm and house and construction zone, a play area "beehive" of interactive ball chutes, a media center where kids can produce a newscast, a story telling stage with puppets and costumes, and much much more. Hours are Monday - Thursday 10 am - 6 pm, Friday and Saturday 10 am - 8 pm, and Sunday Noon - 6 pm. General admission is $8.50

Up emigration canyon on the eastern side of Salt Lake City, Hogle Zoo covers 42 acres with over 800 animals. This is the perfect time of year to visit the zoo--not to hot or cold, and lots of baby animals. If you are sticking around until May 15th, a new exhibit called "Natures Nightmares" is opening with all sorts of "scary" animals. Don't know if I'm going to go see that one (I'm typically squeamish) but of course you should ;-).

I already talked about the Tracy Aviary, located on seven wooded acres of Liberty Park, it is the nation's oldest public aviary. This bird park hosts a collection of 400 birds including many endangered species. During the summer guests can see a free-flying bird show and hand feed colorful parrots at the Lory Walk exhibit. Admission is nominal and all proceeds benefit the birds. Open year-round. 589 East 1300 South. 801-596-8500.

My all time favorite places to take the kids though are the historical sites I already listed for you. This Is The Place Heritage Park, The Beehive House, and the Heber Creeper. I hope as I spend time with them, and invest them in their history, they will become genealogists too. Good luck creating your own genealogical descendants.

Presenter Profile: John Colletta

2010-04-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

John Philip Colletta is a Washington-based genealogist whose interest in family history goes back to his boyhood in Buffalo. His father's family was Sicilian, his mother's Bavarian, Alsatian and Swiss, and John was curious to learn how all these ancestors happened to converge in western New York. His research began in U.S. records. Then, while a graduate student in Paris, he ventured into the primary sources of Italy, Germany and France.

After serving in the U.S. Army, John completed his Doctorate in Medieval French Literature at the Catholic University of America. From 1984 through 2005 he conducting workshops for the National Archives and taught courses for the Smithsonian Institution. Now he lectures nationally to genealogical, historical and ethnic societies. He is a faculty member of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, AL, and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in Salt Lake City, UT. He has also coordinated and taught courses for the National Institute on Genealogical Research at the National Archives (Washington, DC), the Institute of Genealogical Research (Dallas,TX), and the Genealogical Institute of Mid-America (Springfield, IL). His areas of expertise include: tracing families of continental European origin, especially nineteenth century; federal records; and writing a narrative family history that is both a reliable document and a readable story.

Dr. Colletta has published many articles in both popular and scholarly magazines. He contributed the chart "How to Find Your Immigrant Ancestor's Ship" to

a permanent exhibit on Ellis Island, and his related book, They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Arrival Record, first published in 1989 by Ancestry, Inc., Salt Lake City, is now available in an updated and expanded third edition. His book, Finding Italian Roots: The Complete Guide for Americans, first published in 1993 by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, is now available in an updated and expanded second edition. Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and Its Aftermath, published in 2000, is a narrative history that reads like a murder mystery; it recounts the mysterious disappearance of a Mississippi ancestor during Reconstruction.

Dr. Colletta has been interviewed on Voice of America--Europe, National Public Radio, and has appeared on local and national television, including NBC's "Today" show. He is featured in Episode Four of "Ancestors," the ten-part KBYU-TV series that aired in 1997, and its sequel that aired in 2000. His national popularity as a speaker may be attributed to the warmth and wit, humor and humanity, that characterize his approach to the adventure of discovering ancestors.

John is teaching "U.S. Naturalization Records, Colonial Times to Early Twentieth-century" at 8:00 am on Thursday, "Passenger Arrival Records: Sources and Strategies for Challenging Cases" at 2:30 on Thursday, and "Naturalization Records: Alternative Sources and Strategies" on Saturday at 8:00am

Traveling to Salt Lake--Day Trip to Provo

2010-04-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

I've already told you about the Family History Library at BYU and the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point. I'm going to give you a few other places to make a day trip out of Utah County. I think the Family History Library and the gardens would be the perfect day. So I'm pretty much just going to give you a few places to eat.

Thanksgiving Point has a really good restaurant called the Harvest Restaurant. It has fresh good food and the walls of the restaurant are painted with fun "trompe l'oeil" art on the walls. Right next to Thanksgiving Point is another favorite burger place--JCW's. A little further south on the BYU campus is the Museum of Art Cafe. The Cafe is only open from 11 to 2 for lunches, but they have wonderful salads and an amazing cold raspberry soup. Other fun places to stop include Cabelas where you can see the wildlife displays and aquariums and dine on buffalo or ostrich at the High Uintas grill. And if you ever come later in the fall, the most beautiful place on earth to see the leaves change is the Alpine Loop drive between American Fork Canyon (stop and see Timpanogos Cave) and Provo Canyon (home of Sundance Ski Resort).

Traveling to Salt Lake--Day Trip to Park City

2010-04-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

Although Dear Myrtle already posted a bit about Park City's Historical Museum, I thought I would add my $.02.

Park City makes a fun day trip from Salt Lake. The ski areas have just closed for the season, but there are still lots of fun attractions to visit. The Olympic Park has tours and rides and a fun zip line that opens May 8th, the Tanger Factory Outlet is a great place for shopping deals and Main Street is a good place to wander through art galleries and especially enjoy the nightlife. Park City is about a 40 minute drive up Parley's Canyon on the I-80 freeway.

If you go, you have to eat at Stein Erickson or Grub Steak, both pricey but absolutely legendary.

Traveling to Salt Lake--Day Trip to Ogden

2010-04-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Ogden is about a 45 minute drive north on the I-15 freeway. I suppose I'm partial to Ogden for a family history day trip because my maternal grandfather's parents settled in Ogden for a time. But it has an amazing railroad history that is most fascinating. You can take the FrontRunner train up to Ogden in about 45 minutes and it will drop you off just a block or so from the Union Station. In 1869 when the transcontinental railroad was connected at Promontory Utah, Ogden became the central hub of transportation in the intermountain west. The station is not in use for trains anymore but houses three interesting museums: the John M Browning Firearms Museum, The Utah State Railroad Museum and the Browning-Kimball Classic Car museum. The station is open Monday-Saturday 10am to 5 pm and admission for all three museums is $5.

Or, if you would rather learn about Airplane history, make the stop on the way up to Ogden at Hill Air Force base and visit the Hill Aerospace Museum. The museum boasts one of the largest collections of vintage aircraft with over 90 military aircraft and military aerospace vehicles. Exhibits take you through the dawn of the airplane and the history of the Air Force with interesting stories about the people who were involved. The museum is open 9:30 am to 4:00 pm seven days a week and admission is free but donations are appreciated.

Presenter Profile: Tom Kemp

2010-04-23T03:24:00.000-07:00

Tom Kemp has been working in genealogy for the past 45 years. He is the author of more than 35 books and has lectured around the world. He was a presenter at the first genealogy conference held in China (Shanghai 2001) and has routinely spoken at the National Genealogical Society and local genealogy conferences across the country. Tom is the "Father" of GenealogyBank. He is the 2010 recipient of the American Library Association's GPC Award - the lifetime achievement award for Genealogy Librarians.

Tom is teaching "Genealogy Boot Camp--Twenty-first century Core Resources." on Saturday at 2:30pm.

Presenter Profile: Thomas Shawker

2010-04-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

Dr. Thomas Shawker is a physician and has over 200 scientific publications including articles on genetic genealogy. He has spoken at numerous national and state genealogical meetings. Dr. Shawker currently serves as the Chairman of the National Genealogical Society Committee on Genetic Genealogy. He is the author of the book "Unlocking your Genetic History: A Step-by-step Guide to Discovering your Family’s Medical and Genetic Heritage" in the National Genealogical Society book series.

Thomas is teaching "The ABCs of DNA Testing" on Friday at 9:30 and "DNA Testing for Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry" on Saturday at 2:30.

Presenter Profile: Russell S. Lynch, A.G., MLS

2010-04-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

Russ received an Honors BA in French from the University of Utah in 1987 and studied for a semester in Lisieux, France. He grew up in the Salt Lake City area in Utah and has a Masters of Library and Information Science from Brigham Young University.

He is an Accredited Genealogist researcher in Midwestern States. Russ served as president of the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA) and in other UGA leadership positions. During that time, he served as exhibit coordinator for the GENTech Conference.

In 1993, he attended his first NGS Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. That conference was a wonderful experience which he has repeated many times over the past 17 years! He has enjoyed serving as the Local Host Chair for this Family History Conference and looks forward to the great events that they have planned.

Russ has worked at the Family History Library since 1985 as a reference manager, a database specialist, and a reference secretary. He has worked on many databases for the FamilySearch.org website, taught classes on record sources, software products, and research methodology at local, state, and national conferences. Currently, he is a Collection Management Specialist for FamilySearch.

As a librarian, he participates on the RUSA Local History Committee and the Genealogy Committee of ALA (American Library Association). He serves as Secretary to the Genealogy and Local History Section of IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions). He has lectured at and arranged many large conferences for libraries and genealogy.

NGS Class: Saturday, 1 May, 2010 on the "West" track at 9:30 a.m.

Utah Territorial Records

Presenter Profile: Paula Stuart Warren

2010-04-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Paula Stuart-Warren, CG℠ is a Certified Genealogist working full-time in genealogical and historical research, lecturing, consulting, and writing, Paula has researched at the National Archives, FHL, NEHGS, DAR Library, and many other repositories. She has been a member of NGS since the 1980s. Since 1997 she has been a Course Coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, lectured at National Genealogical Society and Federation of Genealogical Societies conferences since 1993, and in 29 states and Canada. A former officer of the Association of Professional Genealogists and Minnesota Genealogical Society board member, she currently serves on FGS’ Board of Directors. She has written for Ancestry Magazine, FGS Forum, NGSQ, NGS Magazine, New England Ancestors, Minnesota Genealogist, and is editor of FGS Conference News Blog and Paula’s Genealogical Eclectica . Her articles and lectures focus on unusual resources, manuscripts, analyzing records, the Midwest, and Native Americans. She is descended from eight ancestral countries with connections to many states and provinces.

Paula is teaching: Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., Session W125: Right on the Shelves at the FHL: Discovering Back Issues of Periodicals, Wednesday at 4:00 p.m., Session W155: American Indian Research at the Family History Library and Beyond and Friday at 8:00 a.m., F306: Tho’ They Were Poor, They May Have Been Rich in Records

Traveling to Salt Lake--what's playing now?

2010-04-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

I know you are all going to be busy with the multitude of events surrounding the conference. But I thought I'd let you in on a couple of the other events going on in Salt Lake next week.

The Temptations are at the Abravanel Hall next weekend right next to the Family History Library and the Salt Palace.
42nd Street is playing at the Pioneer Theatre Company up at the University of Utah.
Hale Centre Theatre--a local favorite theater in the round--is showing The Three Musketeers.
If Thursday night's performance leaves you wanting for more, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has several other events including organ recitals and their longest-running network television program Music and the Spoken Word started in 1929.
The Salt Lake Acting Company is performing Charm.
Pirates of the Car-Rib-eee-An Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Fun is being performed by the ever comical Desert Star Playhouse.
Regular movies can be seen downtown at the Mexaplex 12 at the Gateway Shopping Center.
And various other art shows and concerts can be found at the Now Playing Utah website.

Presenter Profile: Ronald G. Coleman

2010-04-22T02:58:00.000-07:00

Ronald G. Coleman

Before joining the University of Utah faculty in 1973, Dr. Ronald Coleman taught in the San Francisco Unified School District from 1968 to 1970, and at Sacramento City College from 1970-1973.

Dr. Coleman is an associate professor of history and ethnic studies and former coordinator of the Ethnic Studies Program, a post he held from July 1984 to July 1991. He held the position of Associate Vice President for Diversity and Faculty Development from December 1989 to July 1999.

Dr. Coleman received a B.S. degree in sociology at the University of Utah. He received an M.A. degree in social science(history emphasis) California State University, Sacramento, and a Ph.D. degree in history at the University of Utah. R. Coleman was elected to Phi Kappa Phi in 1977.

Professor Coleman’s primary research focus is African American history. He has presented his work at a variety of history and ethnic studies conferences. Dr. Coleman is frequently invited to lecture on topics varying from African American history to contemporary race relations in the United States. His publications include articles on western black history. “Is There No Blessing for Me? Jane Elizabeth Manning James, A Mormon African American Woman” in African American Women Confront the West; “Blacks in Utah: An Unknown Legacy;” in The Peoples f Utah; “The Buffalo Soldiers: Guardians of the Uintah Frontier;” and “Black Pioneers in Utah, 1847-1869.” He has served as an educational consultant for the University of Vermont, California State University, Hayward; Utah Transit Authority, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Trust for Historic Preservation and several school districts in the state of Utah.

Dr. Coleman contributes to the University and larger community. His activities have included membership on the University of Utah Senate; the Athletic Board; the faculty mentoring program; and the faculty affirmative action committee. He is a life member of the NAACP and on the Alberta Henry Education Foundation Board. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Utah Chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice, Salt Lake County Sports Advisory Board and was a member of the Salt Lake City Civil Service Commission from 1983 to 1993. He currently serves on the Utah State Board of History, the Cottonwood Heights History Committee and the Afro American History and Genealogical Association/Utah Chapter.

Professor Coleman’s contributions to education and community have been recognized by a number of organizations. In 2001 he was inducted into the University of Utah Crimson Club Athletic Hall of Fame. He was the recipient of the Utah Humanities Council’s Governors Award for the year 2000. In 1990 the University of Utah awarded him the Calvin and Jeneal Hatch Prize in Teaching. In 1991 the Salt Lake Chapter of the NAACP named Dr. Coleman the Albert B. Fritz Civil Rights Worker of the Year. In 1993 Dr. Coleman received the Olaudah Equiano Award of Excellence from the University of Utah Ethnic Studies Program. The University of Utah Honors Program recognized Coleman with the Distinguished Honors Professor Teaching Award for the 2005/2006 academic year.

Traveling to Salt Lake--the weather/what should I pack?

2010-04-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

We've been getting hit with erratic spring showers today. At one point the hail looked like snowballs on the windshield, then 10 minutes later it was a light shower. Common for spring, they don't last very long.

According to the weather channel, I have good news for Sheri. By this Saturday there are no more plans for showers. So Sheri, you might want to bring a sweater or a light jacket for cold classrooms and late night walks. But you can leave your coats and probably your umbrella at home. That should leave you more room for shoes. :-)

And Dick, I guess you have more room for electronics, and Randy you should be able to fit in more t-shirts. See you soon.

Traveling to Salt Lake--The beautiful mountains

2010-04-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

The first thing you notice when you come to Salt Lake City is our beautiful mountains. You can see on this great satellite picture that they surround the Salt Lake Valley with the Great Salt Lake (and Antelope Island) in the Northwest corner of the valley. Downtown Salt Lake is in the Northern part of the valley and the suburbs stretch out to the south. You can see on the satellite image the I-15 main freeway corridor stretching through the middle of the valley (the white line) and down before you come to Utah Lake is the Point of the Mountain where the mountains come together before heading down into Utah Valley.

Salt Lake sits on the western edge of the Rockies. The mountains provide great opportunities for recreation such as rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking and of course skiing. The highest mountain in the valley is Twin Peaks, which reaches 11,330 feet. This stretch of mountains with it's cities to the North of Salt Lake (Bountiful, Layton, Ogden, etc.) and it's cities to the South of Salt Lake (Alpine, Orem, Provo, etc.) are commonly called the "Wasatch front." The Oquirrh mountains that border the western edge of the valley are the home to Kennecott Copper Mine, the largest copper mine in the world. You can always tell where you are on the Wasatch front because the big mountains are to the East and the smaller mountains (the Oquirrh mountains) are to the west. And in fact once you spend a bit of time on the Wasatch front, you miss that instant location guide when you leave.

The main part of the valley is just over 100 square miles. City Creek, Emigration, Millcreek, Parley's, Big Cottonwood, and Little Cottonwood are the main canyons that stretch off to the East. Several of them are full of ski resorts. You can tell if the valley was cut by a stream or by a glacier by looking to see if the mouth of the canyon comes to a v or a u. U shaped canyons were cut by glaciers and V shaped canyons were cut by the river.

The valley was formed by Lake Bonneville, ancient lake that stretched out to the West. The foothills at the base of the mountains, or locally called the "benches," were once the beaches of this huge lake. At its largest, it was almost as large as Lake Michigan. Eventually though, the lake dried up and what is left of it is now the Great Salt Lake. Lake Bonneville's former beaches are now exclusive properties for homes with a sweeping view of the valley--especially beautiful at night.

Elevation in the valley is 4,330 feet/1,320 meters above sea level. There is usually clean fresh air except for when clouds get trapped up against the mountain and create an inversion. High elevation makes it harder to breathe while you are exercising (making it a great place for athletes to train) and alcohol has a stronger effect. It is good to drink more water to help with elevation adjustment. And you should add a little more flour to cakes so that they rise right. The valley isn't high enough to cause any real altitude problems in travelers.

I love being able to look up at the snow capped mountains when the summer starts to heat up. There will still be snow at the top when you arrive making the view just beautiful. But you'll be able to enjoy the warm spring weather and beautiful plants starting to wake up in the valley below.

Presenter Profile: Paul Lipinski

2010-04-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Paul R. Lipinski, BS, has been a researcher for over thirty years and has traced most of his ancestral lines to the 1700s. He joined the Polish Genealogical Society of California (PGS-CA) and has served on the Board as President and Vice-President (1996-99) and (2002-2005). Currently he is Editor of the quarterly publication, the Bulletin. He has written articles for PGS-California, PGS-America, and the TRW Genealogical Society (GS). He has organized and chaired conferences sponsored by PGS-California and UPGS (United Polish Genealogical Societies). He is a volunteer-consultant at the Los Angeles Regional Family History Center where he teaches classes and assists people in their research. He has spoken to the PGS-CA, German Research Association, Immigrant GS, FEEFHS, TRW GS, Questing Heirs GS, South Bay Cities GS, Temecula Valley GS, Murrieta GS, Whittier Area GS, Corona GS, Pomona Valley GS, UPGS (United Polish Genealogical Societies), and San Diego GS.

Paul is teaching "Researching in Poland" on Friday at 4:00 pm.

Presenter Profile: Wendy Elliott-Scheinberg

2010-04-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Wendy is a professor of history at California State University, Fullerton. She currently is immediate past president of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and held several positions on its Board of Directors for many years. Wendy also served on the national Records Preservation and Access committee. She completed several terms as president of the California State Genealogical Alliance during the 1980s and 1990s.

She is an internationally known genealogical teacher and beginning in 1984 annually lectures at the NGS and FGS national conferences held throughout the United States. In 2010 she’ll present one lecture in Salt Lake City, and three in Knoxville. In July 2003 Wendy attended the National Institute for Genealogical Research at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Her articles on the War of 1812 will appear in the next two issues of FGS FORUM Online.

Wendy is teaching "California Voter Registrations: A Wealth of Information for Genealogists" at 2:30 pm on Saturday.

Presenter Profile: John M. Kitzmiller II, AG

2010-04-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

John has always been interested in too widely different subjects – genealogy and geology. Combine that with an interest in all things military and that would explain a lot about his career(s)! He was born on an Air Force Base in Illinois but mostly lived in Michigan. He was the eldest son of the eldest son etc., so was basically raised with his grandparents and great grandparents. He knew 5 of the later generation, the last one passing away when he was a young teenager. His grandfather has much to blame for his genealogical interest, in that he would tell stories about the family while his father and grandfather played checkers. He was never once asked to play, but he sure learned how to.

Geology was another hobby that turned into a profession, and John obtained two degrees in it – the last one at BYU. He worked for the State of Utah (mapping), Phillips Petroleum (off-shore California), Texas Oil & Gas (California), the Department of Energy (Utah), and Hewitt Energy. During this time John inquired at the Family History Library, and was hired. He worked in the Correspondence Unit, then went to work on record linkage and its application to duplicate checking. He became the supervisor, the manager, and then was transferred to Ancestral File as a product manager and the manager of the Medieval Unit. He also can be seen on KBYU when he lectured on British military and Heraldry (became a fellow of two heraldic groups).

During this time he obtained his credentials in England and Scotland, was elected a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists, and a fellow of several other British societies. In his spare time he wrote many articles and books, and also worked with several Native American groups. After awhile, he decided to strike out and work with some outside companies where he further polished his skills. This even included genealogical lectures on cruise ships! John has lectured around the world, and has been to all of the Record Offices in Britain except one – Lincoln! Still he felt the tug of the Family History department, and decided to become a Church Service Missionary. After some time, an opportunity occurred where he could work with his favorite topic – medieval genealogy. One of the thrills of his life was to obtain a golden Reference tag, where he substituted weekly. Although only in the Medieval unit for a year, he thoroughly enjoyed it and misses the people there. He then moved into a group that helps define which strategic records needed to be obtained by the Department.

NGS Class: on Saturday, 1 May 2010 in the ICAPGen Track at 11:00 a.m.

Advanced Methodology: The Paradigm of Family History Research

Presenter Profile: Howard Bybee

2010-04-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

Howard C. Bybee is the Family History Librarian in the Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. He and his wife Sue, who has a BA in family history, are parents of six children. He is Faculty Advisor for the French section of the Immigrant Ancestors Project. He and his wife have taught Religion 261, Introduction to Family History at BYU. He has spoken about the Lee Library genealogy resources at conferences throughout Utah. He has Masters degrees in French, Anthropology, and Library Science, and has been employed in the Harold B. Lee Library since 1988.

Howard is teaching "Discover Your Heritage at the BYU Library: Catalog and Genealogy Resources" on Thursday at 11:00

Presenter Profile: Pamela K. Sayre

2010-04-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL, is director of education and publications for NGS and coordinator for Samford University’s IGHR Techniques and Technology course. She has also taught in the Advanced Military and Southern Research courses at IGHR and in the Certification/Accreditation course at Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Pam is co-author of Online Roots: How to Discover Your Family’s History and Heritage with the Power of the Internet (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 2003); Research in Missouri (Arlington, VA: NGS, 1999 & 2007); the Missouri chapter in the third edition of Ancestry’s Red Book (Provo, UT: Ancestry, Inc., 2004), and she was the FGS FORUM’s Digitools columnist for several years. Pam is a former board member of FGS, NGS, and the Genealogical Speakers Guild, past editor of the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, former chair of APG’s Publications Advisory Committee, and former copy editor of the BCG publication OnBoard.

Born in St. Louis and reared in New Mexico, Pam received a bachelor’s degree with emphasis in sociology, English, and history from Eastern New Mexico University. She completed some coursework toward an MBA (emphasis in Computer Information Systems) from Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts. Easily bored in earlier years, Pam worked in law enforcement, personnel administration, and software testing, training, and documentation before following her heart to become a full-time professional genealogist in 1994. She has spoken at genealogy conferences and seminars in thirty states.

Pamela is teaching "Google Earth for Genealogists" on Wednesday at 2:30pm, "Effective Editing and Writing" on Saturday at 9:30 am and "Westward Ho! But How?" on Saturday at 4:00pm.

Presenter Profile: Kip Sperry

2010-04-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Kip Sperry is a professor of family history at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, where he teaches American and LDS genealogical research methods and sources. Kip was born in Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio, holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from BYU, and previously worked at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. He is an Accredited Genealogist, Certified Genealogist, and a Certified Genealogical Lecturer. His national awards include Fellow, American Society of Genealogists; Fellow, National Genealogical Society; and Fellow, Utah Genealogical Association, among others. He received the Richard Lloyd Anderson Research Award from BYU in 2003. Kip is author of A Guide to Mormon Family History Sources; Kirtland, Ohio: A Guide to Family History and Historical Sources; Genealogical Research in Ohio; Reading Early American Handwriting, and other books, chapters, and journal articles. He has lectured at national, regional, and state family history conferences and seminars, including BYU computer and family history conferences. His areas of research interest are American and LDS family history; New England states; Ohio and other Midwestern states; Western Reserve in northeastern Ohio; England, Scotland, Isle of Man family history; and paleography (reading early handwriting).

Kip is teaching "Latter-day Saint Family History Research" Friday at 8:00am, "Tips for Field Research for Family Historians" Friday at 4:00pm, and "Finding Your Ancestors in U.S. Census Records" on Saturday at 8:00 am.

Presenter Profile: J.H. Fonkert

2010-04-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

J. H. (‘Jay”) Fonkert is a Certified Genealogist^SM specializing in Midwest and Dutch genealogy.

He is President of the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS), as well as a genealogy author and educator. Jay teaches a Beginning Genealogy course in St. Paul (MN) Community Education, is a course coordinator and instructor in the MGS Intermediate Genealogy Course, and has been a Genealogy Help Desk consultant at the Minnesota Historical Society Library. He has lectured on census research, immigration, Dutch genealogy and other topics in Minnesota, Iowa, Florida and Ontario.

He has is a columnist for The Septs, the quarterly journal of the Irish Genealogical Society International and has published articles in Family Chronicle, Minnesota Generalogist, the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, and the NGS Magazine. Jay’s writing earned the 2009 Scholar Award from the American Society of Genealogists, and has three years running won 2^nd or 3^rd place in writing competitions sponsored by the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors.

He has studied advanced research methods and professional genealogy at the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University and English genealogical research at the Salt Lake Genealogy Institute. He has also attended the National Institute for Genealogical Research in Washington, D.C.

He is a Director of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and a member of The Genealogical Speaker’s Guild and the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors.

A stubborn Dutchman, his favorite research topics come from his wife’s family, namely the Fawkners of mid-19^th century Kentucky and Indiana, and the Tidballs of Somerset and Devon, England. He also has done extensive research on Midwestern Dutch immigrants, and has tried his hand at Swedish and Norwegian research.

Outside genealogy, Jay’s volunteer service has included stints as Treasurer and President of Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota and as President of the Saint Paul District 1 Community Council. In his real world life, he is the Sr. Workforce Analyst in the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, in the Minnesota Department of Health.

A graduate of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jay has M.A. degrees in Political Science and Public Affairs from the University of Illinois and the University of Minnesota, respectively, and has completed advanced geography coursework at the University of Minnesota.

Jay is teaching"Anatomy of a Genealogy Research Report: Adding Muscle and Flesh" on Saturday at 2:30 and has graciously

Traveling to Salt Lake--When are you coming?

2010-04-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

The registrations for NGS look great and we are exited to have lots of people coming from everywhere. While we have driven and flown many of these distances to meet with you, here are some mileage estimates since you are coming our way this time.

New York City to Salt Lake City is about 2190 miles
Oklahoma City to Salt Lake City is about 1100 miles
St Louis to Salt Lake City is about 1360 miles
San Diego to Salt Lake City is about 760 miles
Seattle to Salt Lake City is about 850 miles
Phoenix to Salt Lake City is about 650 miles
Nashville to Salt Lake City is about 1700 miles
Las Vegas to Salt Lake City is about 420 miles
Grand Junction to Salt Lake City is about 290 miles
Detroit to Salt Lake City is about 1670 miles
El Paso to Salt Lake City is about 870 miles
Houston to Salt Lake City is about 1440 miles
Kansas City to Salt Lake City is about 1110 miles
Columbus to Salt Lake City is about 1680 miles
Cheyenne to Salt Lake City is about 440 miles
Boston to Salt Lake City is about 2380 miles
Atlanta to Salt Lake City is about 1930 miles
Billings to Salt Lake City is about 640 miles
Boise to Salt Lake City is about 340 miles
Albuquerque to Salt Lake City is about 600 miles
Anchorage to Salt Lake City is about 3416 miles
Ottawa to Salt Lake City is about 2957 miles
Vancouver to Salt Lake City is about 1292 miles
Toronto to Salt Lake City is about 1671 miles

I actually love driving and getting to see the sites along the way. If you aren't so inclined, I hope you are flying. But if you are driving, there is another great list of driving distances from many of the western national and state parks.

We're vacuuming the red carpet. We'll see you soon.

2010-04-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

HELP US HELP YOU!

Dear NGS Conference Attendee –
If you,

Have foreign ancestors you want to find
Are going to visit the Family History Library during your stay in Salt Lake City
PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING TO HELP THE FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS HELP YOU IN THAT PROCESS

Find your ancestors in minimally the 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 U.S. censuses to obtain year of immigration information
If they came early, find them in the 1850-1900 censuses
If there are state censuses, you may try and find them in those – information given there can be also helpful. You can check on our Wiki to help you with this. US State Censuses

Family researchers also need to do a “genealogy dig” in the basement and attic and look for things such as:

Hanging or stored tintypes, daguerreotypes, copper plates, or old brass photos with names, dates, or places on them, either front or back
Vital records (birth, marriage, death, burial certificates or notices, doctor’s records or equivalent), both U.S. and foreign .
Church records (baptismal, confirmation, marriage, death, burial,), both U.S. and foreign.
Letters/picture postcards from the old country with people and/or place names on them.
Obituary notices about aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, neighbors, and friends who may have come from the same area in the old country as your ancestors.
Scrapbooks with any articles, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and so forth in a foreign language.
Photos or picture plates of any kind with printed and/or written names of people or places
Commemorative certificates which may list schooling / other accomplishments in a foreign place
Certificates of or applications for insurance policies, driver’s licenses, fraternal orders, clubs, employment, social benefits cards, pension benefits, savings funds, bank accounts, and so forth.
Copies of civil or criminal court papers, or documents which ask for birth place, age, birth date.
Front, middle, back fill-in pages of Bibles, religious books, or any other types of printed booklets, pamphlets or printed matter from a foreign country.
Medical records of any kind which asked for date and/or age, and place of birth or residence.
Copies of homestead applications, deeds, wills, naturalization applications, etc.
Information obtained from family stories, legends, oral interviews with relatives, friends and neighbors of relatives, which can then be checked against more reliable sources. A nosy or gossipy neighbor can also be a great source of family history info!
ANY documents, certificates, postcards, pictures and so forth with place and/or people names on them which are in a foreign language and/or ”funny” handwriting. Example: many European immigrants brought their copy of their smallpox (kopper) vaccination with them, and it’s now lying in the attic or basement trunk because no one can read it nor knows what it is. It could list a birth place!
Bring excellent photo copies or digitized images of anything you find with you. They may contain the clues needed to get you back across the ocean!!

Help us help you!

Traveling to Salt Lake -- Parks at Springtime

2010-04-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

There is another reason that NGS picked the perfect week to come to Salt Lake City. And that is that the gardens around the city come alive with tulips and daffodils this time of year.

You'll get to see the beautiful tulips around the library pretty easily, but be sure to take a walk one block to the east and look around Temple Square. The sight is spectacular this time of year. It is an amazing place to take pictures.

Likewise. 26 miles to the south is Thanksgiving Point. The 35 acres of gardens boast 250,000 tulips. Until May 1st, they are hosting the Tulip Festival from 10 am to 8 pm Monday through Saturday. Entrance fees are $10 adults, $8 children and $9 seniors. It's hard to explain how beautiful the gardens are, you just have to go see them.

There are lots of other beautiful parks around Salt Lake too.

Liberty Park is Salt Lake's foremost park. There are all sorts of things to explore at the park. Tracy Aviary is a popular site for bird watching, my first birthday party was held at the amusement park, and more recently they have built a fun interactive playground map of the Salt Lake Valley with fountains and rock features. Liberty Park is at 11th South and 6th East.

Red Butte Garden is also a popular place for locals to hike and go exploring. It is a 100 acre botanical garden that is part of the University of Utah and largely organized to help learn about local horticulture. It is open from 9am to 9pm throughout April.

And if you are downtown a great place to stretch your legs or have a picnic are the Brigham Young Park and City Creek Park. They are beautifully landscaped parks just east of State Street and on the corners of North Temple. Delightful places to get some air at lunch time.

And finally, Memory Grove is a serene place, close to downtown wonderful for a jog or bike ride. It stretches up city creek canyon to the east of the capitol.

Lots of beautiful places to see and to get some fresh air. Hope you enjoy them.

Presenter Profile: Suzanne Russo Adams

2010-04-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Suzanne Russo Adams, MA, AG® specializes in Italian research. She is a Brigham Young University graduate with degrees in sociology and family history/genealogy. Suzanne currently works as the Society Partnership Manager for Ancestry.com and has worked at Ancestry.com for more than 11 years. She currently serves on the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) board, as a commissioner for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen) and is a former board member of the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA). Suzanne also has a Master’s degree in European History from BYU (December 2008) and she is the author of Finding Your Italian Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide (2009.)

Suzanne is teaching "What's New at Ancestry.com?" at 11am on Wednesday

Presenter Profile: Alan Mann, A.G.

2010-04-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

Alan E. Mann, AG, is an accredited genealogist in England, Australia, and the Channel Islands. He is a community manager for the FamilySearch Community Services team, a workgroup in the Family History Department, Corporation of the President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Alan was formerly the Information Services manager for the Family History Library and he teaches British Research (History 412, 413, and 481) for Brigham Young University and various computer courses for Salt Lake Community College. He writes columns, reviews, and articles for several magazines, and presents around the country on "the Internet" and "British Research."

Alan is a director of the Utah Genealogical Association and was program chair for GenTech 2000 in San Diego, and is co-founder and co-chair of the BYU Annual Computerized Genealogy Conference (1998-2002, 2006 to present).

NGS Class: Thursday, 29 Apr 2010 in the Utah Genealogical Association Track at 8:00 a.m.

A Fresh Look at the Family History Library: A Library without Walls

Presenter Profile: Glen Fairclough

2010-04-19T00:14:00.000-07:00

Glen Fairclough, a processing and reference archivist, has worked at the Utah State Archives and Records Service since April 1989. Fairclough arranges and describes numerous records series and also researches and writes agency histories. He also provides reference services, conducts guided tours of archives's facilities, and lectures about archival research. Fairclough designed "Utah's Road to Statehood," an electronic exhibit which tells the story of Utah's 50-year struggle to achieve statehood using the wealth of documents, photographs, and memorabilia held at Utah repositories. Fairclough received a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Utah in 1976. Before becoming an archivist, Fairclough was employed as a reporter, editor, and photographer at various daily, weekly, and monthly publications. Fairclough writes and distributes news releases to local media as well as regional and national professional journals.

The History Research Center is jointly operated by the Utah State Archives and State History. The center is open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

NGS Class: Thursday, April 29, at 2:30 p.m. in the Utah Genealogical Association track. The class is titled "Wake the Dead: Family History Resources at the History Research Center."

Presenter Profile: Elizabeth Shown Mills

2010-04-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

Genealogical audiences on three continents have dubbed Elizabeth Shown Mills “The SuperGenie,” the “Pied Piper of Family History,” the “Mother of Modern Genealogy,” and “the person who has had the greatest impact on genealogy in the post-Roots era.” For a quarter century, she has pushed the cutting edge of research methodology, standards, and quality, serving as president of both the Board for
Certification of Genealogists and the American Society of Genealogists, as well as an officer or trustee of other major organizations.
During her 16 years as editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Elizabeth made that journal into the leading forum for the teaching of research methods and principles. For even longer, her Advanced Methodology Track at the Samford University Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research has been a rite of passage for serious family historians. Two of Elizabeth’s 500+ publications, the award-winning Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian and Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians, are considered “absolute essentials” for both personal and professional genealogists. Her 2004 historical novel Isle of Canes, an epic account of a Creole family through four generations as it rose from slavery to rule Cane River’s fabled Isle (a story drawn from Elizabeth’s personal research in the archives of six nations) was declared a “masterpiece” by Historical Novels Review who promised its readers “You’ll never look at American History the same way again.” Her latest book, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, earned Library Journal’s Best Reference 2007 designation.

Elizabeth is teaching "Smith & Jones: How to Cope with Families of Common Name" Wednesday at 2:30pm, "What Kind of Document is This: Original? Derivative? Primary? Secondary? Or Whatchamacallit!?" Thursday at 11am, "Hell on the Home Front: Damages & the Claims They Generated" Friday at 11am and "Finding & Using Birth, Marriage, & Death Records Prior to Vital Registration" on Saturday at 11am

Presenter Profile:Dear Myrtle

2010-04-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

DearMYRTLE's Bio

Pat (Player) Isaacs Richley-Erickson, who attended Brigham Young University, is the proud mother of three grown daughters, and the grandmother of six -- Tracen, Aubrey, TJ, Tannon, Braden and Tyler. She considers being a grandmother her greatest joy and accomplishment.

Computer Instructor: From 1991-2006, Pat taught computer classes part time at the Manatee Technical Institute with an emphasis on corporate training. She also provided computer tutoring services in Sarasota and Manatee county, Florida. Specialties include corporate and government training in Windows, Excel, Access, PowerPoint & Outlook.

Radio Show Host: In January 2000, she began co- hosting The Seeker & DearMYRTLE, a weekly call-in talk radio show on local AM radio, with internet streaming. In June 2000, Myrt began exclusive internet broadcasting of DearMYRTLE's Family History Hour internet radio show. Now in podcast format, listeners may automatically download the next episode through iTunes.com.

Public Speaker: As DearMYRTLE, Pat has spoken at national, regional & local genealogy society meetings since the late 1990s. She has spoke at the NGS Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, giving 2 computer lab training sessions. Myrt has been featured as the keynote speaker, instructor at numerous genealogy conferences in Florida, Canada, Washington, Utah, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia.

Genealogy Training & Service: Pat received training at the Washington, DC Temple Family History Center in Kensington, and served for five years as the Patron Services Librarian at the Family History Center in Bradenton, FL. She has spent hundreds of hours researching at the National Archives, the Library of Congress and the DAR Library in Washington, DC. In addition, Myrt now resides in the Salt Lake City area, facilitation intensive research at the Family History Library.

From 1993-2006 Myrt has served as the instructor & newsletter editor for the Manasota PAF Users Group. She is a past president and webmaster for the Manasota Genealogical Society. She is also webmaster of the Weiser Family Page.

Author: Beginning in 1995, DearMYRTLE's Daily Genealogy Column appeared in the Golden Gate Genealogy Forum on AOL until AOL folded the forum in Sept 2003. DearMYRTLE.com debuted in 1999 as a place to archive special columns for access by anyone on the net. Myrt's The Everything Online Genealogy Book debuted in Nov 2000 followed by DearMYRTLE's Joy of Genealogy in 2006. Myrt has written numerous magazine articles, published in Heritage Quest Magazine and Everton's Genealogical Helper. She wrote the chapter on church records for Family Chronicle's Introduction to Genealogy. In March 2003, Myrt began her series of "little books", including Getting Started with Your Family History and Internet Research: Top 20 Things to Do Online.

Chat Room Hostess: Myrt joined the Your Family Tree on Q-Link for Commodore computers in the winter of 1984/1985. Working with Russ Kyger, they expanded the chats from 1 to 7 week nightly. She remembers begging Russ to "hire" Terry Ann Morgan as the message board host. Q-Link and Apple-Link merged to become AOL, where Myrt served on the leadership team of the Golden Gate Genealogy Forum (AOL's Keyword: roots) until it was disbanded in August 2003. Now sign on to Second Life and search for JUST GENEALOGY and Clarise Beaumont.

Pat/Myrt lives in Utah with five computers, 113 research notebooks and enough shelves to finally unpack her genealogy library.

Dear Myrtle is speaking at the Utah Genealogical Association luncheon on Thursday. Here presentation is titled "Genealogy: It's Not Just for Mormons"

Presenter Profile: Elissa Scalise Powell

2010-04-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Elissa Scalise Powell, CGSM, a western Pennsylvania researcher, is a Trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and their Exhibit Booth Coordinator. She is the instructor for the “Foundations,” “Genealogy Profession” and online “Ethnic and Geographic Specialties” modules in Boston University’s Genealogical Research Certificate program. Elissa is the Professional Genealogy Course Coordinator at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and was co-coordinator of the Accreditation/Certification Survey course at Salt Lake Institute 2010. She is a regional and national speaker on such topics as Pennsylvania records, methodology, professional development, and society management. She was a Director for the Association of Professional Genealogists for 6 years; co-edited a cemetery book series and appeared on the PBS-TV show "Ancestors 2" in the cemetery episode. You can see her in a video presentation on the BCG website and a video lecture from the 2009 Professional Management Conference on the APGen.org website (PMC webcast). She is a past-President of two societies, taught a beginning genealogy course at a community college for fourteen years and is a contributing author for many publications.

Elissa is teaching "The Research Cycle: Don't Pedal Backwards" on Thursday at 8am, "Beating the Bushes: Using the GSP to Find Jacob's Parents" on Saturday at 8am, and "Twenty Years of Stuff--Now What Do I Do?" on Saturday at 11am.

Presenter Profile: David Curtis Dearborn

2010-04-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

David Curtis Dearborn has been a member of the staff of the New England Historic Genealogical Society since 1976, and serves as a reference librarian. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts (B.A. History, 1971), Northeastern University (M.A. History, 1974) and Simmons College (M.S. Library Science, 1982), he is also a consulting editor and contributor to the Society’s newsmagazine, American Ancestors, and has also published a number of articles in the Register, and in a number of other local and national genealogical publications.

He is a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, former president of the Massachusetts Genealogical Council, and a contributing editor of The American Genealogist. He is a frequent speaker at NEHGS educational programs, as well as at local and national genealogical conferences around the country.

His areas of genealogical interest include northern New England families, families of Essex County, Mass., migrations, urban and twentieth-century genealogy, finding maiden names, and research in England, Scotland and Italy. His current projects include tracing descendants of Godfrey1 Dearborn (1603-1686) of Hampton, New Hampshire, and William1 Banton (1762-1848) of England and Waldo County, Maine.

David is teaching "Migration out of New England" on Friday morning at 9:30 am.

Presenter Profile: Barbara Vines Little

2010-04-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Barbara has been a professional genealogist since 1982, specializing in Virginia record sources, land platting, neighborhood reconstruction, complete genealogies, lineage society applications and problem-solving; lectures at national and regional conferences and conducts all-day workshops; past-president, National Genealogical Society; former president and board member, Virginia Genealogical Society, coordinator Virginia track, Samford University's Institute of Genealogical Research, former Track II coordinator, VIGR (Virginia Institute of Genealogical Research); editor, quarterly Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, author, NGS Research in the States, West Virginia and former editor bi-monthly Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter and MidAtlantic Germanic Society's newsletter, Der Kurier; published three volumes of Virginia court records and edited others for publication.

Barbara is teaching "On a Scale of One to Ten: Weighing the Evidence" Wednesday at 4pm, "One Document, Three Steps: Transcribe, Abstract, Evaluate" Friday at 8 am, and "Identifying Women: The Ultimate Brick Wall" Friday at 4pm. She is also giving the presentation for the BCG Luncheon on Thursday at 12:15 entitled "It's All In How You Look At It: An Opportunity or a Chore"

Presenter Profile:Barry Ewell

2010-04-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

Barry J. Ewell is the founder of MyGenShare.com. He is a writer and researcher with extensive genealogical experience in internet and field research, digital and software resources and mentoring genealogists. Research interests include Eastern U.S., United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Germany, and Russia.

Barry is teaching "Photo Editing Software--Tricks, Tips and Applications for Genealogical Novice to Expert" Thursday at 11am and "Digital Photography for Genealogists" Friday at 4pm.

Presenter Profile: Roberta Bobbi King

2010-04-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Bobbi King lectures and writes about the homestead records, the public lands survey system, and western settlement. Her homestead lectures introduce the researcher to the detailed accounts of homesteaders' lives contained within the land entry files held at the National Archives, contents of which contain testimonies, affidavits, and supporting letters documenting the settlers' claims to free grants of land. Her public lands survey lectures offer the student the logic and understanding of how sections, ranges and townships relate to the deeds discovered within the courthouses of the public land states.

Her articles about homesteaders have appeared in the NGS NewsMagazine, FGS FORUM, and various local and national publications. She wrote the description for the homestead records collection at Footnote.com, and she continues to lecture at national conferences about the rectangular survey system, the homestead records held at the National Archives, and the homestead laws.

Bobbi writes the professional profiles column for the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly for which she received the 2008 Award of Excellence. She wrote Research in Nebraska for the NGS Research in the States series, and authored the recently updated "Research in Nebraska" article for the NGSQ.

Bobbi is a member of the board for FGS, where her past work has included graphic and design work for conference publications, editor for the Society Strategy Series papers, and service as parliamentarian. She is presently vice-president of administration for the Federation.

Bobbi lives in Lakewood Colorado, is a member of numerous local and national genealogy organizations, and continues to write about homesteading. She is the owner of Miss Congenealogy.

Bobbi is teaching "Homestead Records: An Ancestor's Life Revealed" Wednesday at 4pm, "Survey and Settle, or Was It Settle and Survey?" Friday at 9:30 am, and "Homesteads Lost: Cancelations, Relinquishments, and Abandonments" Saturday at 4pm.

Presenter Profile: Daniel Lynch

2010-04-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Dan Lynch is a technology marketing consultant and professional genealogist based in Connecticut. With more than 25 years in technology marketing and 30 years as a genealogist, Dan is well versed in a broad variety of genealogy topics with a particular strength in the application of technology for the pursuit of family history. Dan served as vice president of Ancestry.com from 1998 – 2001 and has also served as a consultant for The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation (NYC), FindMyPast (London) and other organizations in the genealogy sector.

Dan is a life member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and the Connecticut Society of Genealogists (CSG). Many of his articles have been published in leading family history publications and his book, Google Your Family Tree, won a 2009 literary award as best genealogy reference. A skilled and popular presenter for more than a decade, Dan participates in scores of genealogy conferences and local meetings annually. He has been featured on local and national television news programs, including ABCs popular Good Morning America show.

Daniel is teaching in the ICAPGen track on Saturday morning. His classes "Google Your Family Tree: Unlock the Hidden Power of Google" Parts 1 and 2 are at 8:00 am and 9:30 am respectively.

Presenter Profile: George Ryskamp

2010-04-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

GEORGE R. RYSKAMP, J.D., A.G., Associate Professor of History at Brigham Young University just finished a five year term as Director of the Center for Family History and Genealogy at BYU. With over 35 years of experience working in the archives of Spain and Mexico, he is the author of numerous books and articles on Hispanic research and a regular lecturer at national and international conferences. As an Accredited Genealogist, he specializes in Spanish language research and United States probate and legal systems. He and his wife Peggy recently published Finding Your Mexican Roots (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2007.).He has each year for twelve years taken groupsof students to Spain, France and/or Italy to learn first hand how to research in archives.

George is teaching "Finding and Using the Law in Family History Research" at 11 am on Wednesday, "Where are the Road Signs? Applying Evidentiary Concepts in European Contexts" on Thursday at 11am, "Research in the Archives of Spain and Latin America" on Thursday at 4pm, and "Neighborhood Reconstruction, Key to Richer Family History" on Friday at 11am.

Presenter Profile: David McDonald

2010-04-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

David McDonald, CG, first got "the bug" as an eighth-grader in Mr. Brady's social studies class at James Fenimore Cooper Junior High School, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. In the fall of 1977, assigned with the task of compiling a "family tree," Dave began asking questions of his grandmother and her sisters about their experiences in Oklahoma Territory in the first decade of the 1900s, learning that the family left the farm because the well went bad. Later, the family learned the water was polluted--with oil! The family who purchased their father's homestead struck oil on the lousy farmland soon after the family left the area. Later, questions to another grandaunt, his other grandmother's sister, produced two family genealogies published in the late '60s on those relatives. "I was hooked! To be able to learn so many things about my relatives in so short a time made me want to figure out more on the others, too," he noted.

His first job was in a little shop in his hometown in suburban Chicago. Genealogy Unlimited sold pedigree charts and family group sheets, how-to books, copied old photographs and offered classes in research methods. "This was long before personal computers. I was glad to have a job there," Dave said. He added, "I figured there were lots of little places like this, all over the country. How wrong I was!" For the next five years, most spring and autumn weekends found him in the store's van going to various genealogical conferences across the Midwest with Carol Schiffman, the store's owner. Carol frequently lectured at the seminars, and Dave would help run the booth. He noted that, "being exposed to speakers at locations large and small, and on a variety of topics, broadened my appreciation for genealogical methods and efforts. I had the good fortune to see how excellent teachers present their materials in interesting and compelling ways, and I've tried to emulate those best practices in my lectures and teaching."

Research has been an ongoing factor in Dave's life since the late 1970s. Working with a US Army-veteran cousin, who had served in England during World War II, he was able to relocate long-lost kin in Yorkshire, visiting the UK for the first time in 1995. "I really love the chance to visit in the UK," he commented, "as the time frames are so vastly different there. What seems 'old' here is barely noted in British minds. 'Modern' history begins about 1600 in their viewpoint!" With the assistance and in cooperation with those Yorkshire kin, Dave's English families have been extended to the 1500s and earlier, and now include at least two Anglican clergymen. Inasmuch as Dave is a Protestant minister in his non-genealogical endeavors, that's proved one of his favorite finds through the years.

Since 2007, Dave has been a member of the NGS Board of Directors. "Jack Brissee was dying and we had a good chat about both the work of the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society and NGS. He said he'd hoped I'd be willing to serve on the Board in his place," Dave said. "It's been an honor to serve out his term." In addition to service on the Board, Dave has been a proctor and writer for the the Society's Home Study course, and is a graduate of the course as well. "I had been doing genealogical research for more than 25 years when I took the American genealogy course. I only wish I had taken it earlier, as the materials are excellent," he noted.

During the NGS conference, Dave and his bow ties will be busy. He'll be lecturing on a favorite topic, church records and history, as well as transcontinental migration, British research and obsolete terms researchers may encounter in their work. In addition, he'll be the keynote speaker for the Friday evening banquet. "I'll be having some fun looking at British royalty, another of my favorite genealogical diversions," Dave noted. "I'm hopeful we can enjoy a little laughter together during Friday evening's gathering."

Presenter Profile: Cherel Henderson

2010-04-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

Cherel B. Henderson is director of the East Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville, TN and a member of the Federation of Genealogical Societies board and co-chair of the 2010 FGS Conference in Knoxville. She is founding director of the ETHS “First Families of Tennessee” and editor of the FFT book as well as the ETHS genealogy magazine Tennessee Ancestors. She has published several books of tombstone and census transcriptions.

Cheryl is speaking at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Luncheon on "Rediscovering America's First Frontier" The luncheon is on Wednesday at 12:15 pm

Traveling to Salt Lake--Historic Sites

2010-04-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

There are several historical re-creation sites in Salt Lake and along the Wasatch Front. These make a fun trip if you are bringing kids or a nice side excursion to drink in.

A whole pioneer village has been recreated at This is the Place Heritage Park on the east bench in Salt Lake. My kids and I have enjoyed volunteering up there for a couple of summers and have learned lots of fun little historical facts and gotten to know some great people. We know how to play graces and are pretty good at hoop trundling, carding wool and stilts. The 450-acre park has a new Native American village and a mercantile with old-fashioned candy. Their spring program has started and hours are 9am-5pm Monday - Saturday, 11am-4pm Sunday with admissions being Adults $7.00, Children (3-11) $5.00, and Seniors (55+) $5.00.

Wheeler Historic Farm is the restored turn-of-the-century dairy farm of Henry J. Wheeler. Right in the middle of the Salt Lake City metropolis is a haven of farm chores, tractor-drawn hay rides, and beautiful wildlife and wetlands. Open from dawn to dusk, it is at 6351 South 900 East in Salt Lake City. You can enjoy the farm machinery exhibit, milk a cow, feed the ducks, or have a picnic in this picturesque setting.

I think one of the most fascinating historic sites on the Wasatch Front is the Benson Grist Mill west of Salt Lake in Stansbury Park. You can tour the 150 year old structure and view close up the amazing construction methods and the complicated milling equipment used when the area was settled. Early mills were a vital part of farming communities and necessary for the making of bread--a staple of the frontier diet. Several other small cabins and displays surround the site as well. The Mill opens to the public on May 1st and will be open throughout the summer on Mondays - Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The Utah Heritage Foundation sponsors guided historic tours around the many fascinating neighborhoods and mansions of downtown Salt Lake. Tours can be scheduled for small groups two weeks in advance and cost $3 per person. They also offer several self-guided tours with downloadable audio for CD or mp3 players. I highly recommend the Historic South Temple Street tour. South Temple has always been Salt Lake's most prestigious address and many early mansions line the street with fascinating histories. The walking tour takes about 2.5 hours.

The Beehive House is Brigham Young's residence and is open for tours from Monday through Saturday 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. Free guided tours begin every 10 minutes. Brigham Young was the LDS leader who led the Mormons to the Salt Lake Valley and was the first territorial governor until 1858. The Beehive House is located on 67 East South Temple, just east of Temple Square.

And finally, a little further away is the Heber Valley Railroad. It is a historic steam railway which still travels through the Heber valley and down Provo canyon. The trains run Fridays and Saturdays in the spring and schedules can be found on the website. You can enjoy a slice of the "Golden Years" of US railroading and the beautiful scenery all at the same time. The ride starts at 450 South 600 West - Heber City, Utah 84032 about a 1 hour drive East of Salt Lake.

Traveling to Salt Lake--Archives and Libraries

2010-04-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

Besides the Family History Library, here are 7 other Archives and Libraries you shouldn't miss while you are in town (with thanks to Russell Lynch for his article in the March 2010 issue of Crossroads).

The Utah State Archives holds Utah historical records back to 1850. It includes Utah vital records, land record, mining claims and government documents. The Research Center is at 300 South Rio Grande Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Tel. (801) 533-3535 Fax (801) 533-3504 and they are open Mon. - Thurs. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

The LDS Church History Library is a new facility on the corner of 15 East and North Temple Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84150. It houses over 260,000 books, 500,000 historic images, and 150,000 journals and diaries. They cover immigration to Utah, and territorial information for the early pioneer settlements covering much of the western United States. It is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m, Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m, and Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. The library is hosting an open house for the conference on Wednesday April 28th from 5:30 to 7:30.

The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Archive has already been talked about on the NGS blog by Christy Fillerup. The facility is being renovated, but has portions open to the public. They have over 100,000 histories on file with an extensive collection of artifacts and photographs covering the people who arrived in Utah prior to 1869. It is open Monday through Friday 9am to 4pm (you need to arrive by 3) and is located at 300 North Main Street Salt Lake City, UT 84103-1699. Phone: 801-532-6479

The Marriott Library at the University of Utah is home to the Western Americana Collection that covers western United States history from 1550 to 1900. It also has large collections of microfilmed British newspapers and published federal documents. The library is accesible from the University Trax line, and is located at 295 South 1500 East Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0860
(801) 581-8558. Library hours are 7 am to midnight. (Don't you love college libraries :-)

The Salt Lake Public Library is a beautiful facility located not far from the Family History Library along the main Trax line. It houses indexes and microfilms of the two main Utah newspapers, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News as well as city directories and other regional documents. It is located at 210 East 400 South Salt Lake City UT 84111 (801) 524-8200 and is open on Mon.-Thurs. 9 a.m.-9 p.m, Fri.-Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m, and Sunday 1-5 p.m.

And the Lee Library at Brigham Young University actually houses the BYU Family History Library, the second largest family history facility in the world. It has more than 200,000 duplicates of microfilms from the Salt Lake Family History Library as well as outstanding map and newspaper collections and as well as one of the largest county history collections in the United States. I have found many an elusive ancestor in the county history collection at the Lee library. The Lee library is a one hour drive south of Salt Lake in the center of the BYU campus in Provo Utah. Hours are Monday–Friday: 7:00 am–12 midnight and Saturday: 8:00 am–12 midnight.

There is also the Sons of the Utah Pioneers Library located on 3301 East 2920 South, Salt Lake City, UT and is open Tuesday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. They house a collection of thousands of manuscripts, biographies and family histories of Mormon pioneers, as well as the many Utah pioneers of other faiths and religions who came to the region before 1869.

And FYI, the Everton Library a collection of 60,000+ books, manuscripts, records, pedigree charts, newletters, photographs and family histories was one of the largest privately held genealogical libraries in the United States. It was started by the Everton family in 1945 publishers of The Everton Genealogical Helper. Upon the decline of the Everton company, the collection was donated to the Logan City Library, about a 1 1/2 hour drive north of Salt Lake. The collection has been processed and will be open to the public sometime in the summer of 2010.

And FYI #2 The Salt Lake County Library System is a collection of 19 libraries that circulates over 15 million items a year and has a wealth of programs and exhibits running constantly. It is one of the best funded library systems in the country with strong voter support and a high patron participation including over 25,000 participating in the summer reading program. In fact, 79% of the population of Salt Lake County is registered for a county library card.

Presenter Profile: Rev. France A. Davis

2010-04-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

The Rev. France A. Davis was born and reared on a Gough, Georgia farm to John H. and Julia Davis. After high school, he attended Tuskegee Institute and later became an Air force jet mechanic. He earned degrees in Afro-American Studies from Merritt College; Arts and Humanities from Laney College; Rhetoric from University of California at Berkeley; Religion and Philosophy from Westminster College; Master of Mass Communication from the University of Utah; and Master of Ministry from Northwest Nazarene College.

He came to Salt Lake City in 1972 as a teaching fellow and graduate student. He was appointed instructor in communication and ethnic studies courses, earning a distinguished teacher award, and continues to teach in the University of Utah’s Honors and Ethnic Studies Program as Adjunct Associate Professor.

He was licensed in 1966 and ordained in 1971 for ministry. Presently, Rev. Davis is, and has been since 1974, the full time pastor of the historic Calvary Missionary Baptist Church of Salt Lake City, Utah.

He lectures widely on cultural and religious topics. He has received numerous awards including an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from the University of Utah in 1993, Salt Lake Community College in 1997, Dixie State College in 2002, an official citation from the Utah House of Representatives in recognition of outstanding service to his community, state and nation in 2006, was appointed as a member to the Salt Lake Community College Board of Trustees in 2007 and received the Westminster 2007 Distinguished Alumni Award. Rev. Davis has had five scholarships established in his honor covering the period from 2002-2007: University of Utah, The Waterford School, Rowland Hall St. Marks School, Salt Lake Theological Seminary all Salt Lake City, Utah and Ransom Everglades School, Miami, Florida. Rev. Davis was appointed to the Utah Board of Regents, 2008 and Vice President of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education in 2009.

Rev. Davis enjoys a wife, two daughters, a son, and a grandson.

Rev. Davis is teaching "Sojourners in the Land of Zion: A Historical Overview of Blacks in Utah" at 4:00pm on Friday afternoon with Dr. Ronald Coleman

Present Profile: Drew Smith

2010-04-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

Drew Smith, MLS, is the Information Literacy Librarian at the University of South Florida Tampa Library. Prior to his current position, he was an instructor for the USF School of Library and
Information Science for more than 12 years, and earlier worked for academic computing departments at the University of South Florida and Clemson University. He is Secretary of the Association of Professional Genealogists, a Director of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (and editor of its new blog, the FGS Voice), and President of the Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa. He has been the co-host of the Genealogy Guys Podcast since September 2005. Smith is author of the book Social Networking for Genealogists, published in 2009 by Genealogical Publishing Company.

Drew is teaching "Social Networking for Genealogists" Saturday at 11am,

Presenter Profile: James P Sweany

2010-04-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

James Sweany has worked at the Library of Congress for 20 years, all in reference services. His career at the Library began in 1989 with the Congressional Research Service. He has also served in the Hispanic Division, the Humanities and Social Sciences Division, and as acting head of the Congressional and Interlibrary Loan Section. James has extensive reference experience with the Library’s microform and machine readable collections. He has been responsible for developing the Library’s American Indian collections, particularly Native American genealogical resources, and serves presently as head of the Library’s Local History & Genealogy Reading Room.

URL: http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/

NGS Class: Friday, April 30, 2010 at 11:00 am on the "Research" track. It is titled: "The Library of Congress: Pursuing Your Family History in the National library"

Presenter Profile: Lynn C. Turner, AG

2010-04-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

Lynn Turner graduated with a BA in Family History and Genealogy from Brigham Young University with an emphasis in Spain and Latin American. Lynn is a Collection Management Record Specialist for FamilySearch International where he defines FamilySearch Indexing projects, online browse collections, and prioritizes the acquisition of new record collections for Hispanic countries.

He is an accredited genealogist through ICAPGen in Spain research, and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Learn more about Lynn and Hispanic genealogy by visiting his blog at: http://hispanicgenealogy.blogspot.com

NGS Class: Thursday, 29 April 2010 in the International Track at 8:00 a.m.

Hispanic Workshop

Traveling to Salt Lake--Where to get a good burger

2010-04-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

Ok. There's one more part that I have to cover about restaurants in Salt Lake--where to get a good burger. I mentioned Crown Burger earlier, definitely a good and close place to get a burger and a good shake. But here's a few more recommendations.

Iggy's Sports Grill 423 West and Third South. Iggy's has great burgers--I love the "black and blue" with blue cheese, teriyaki sauce and skinny fried onions. But it also has the largest menu I've seen in recent memory. Lots of great stuff to sink your teeth into. So if your party can't decide what they want to eat--and you're craving a good burger, convince them to try out Iggys. I'm sure everyone will be able to find something they like.

Hires Big H Drive-in founded in 1959 on the corner of Fourth South and Seventh East. It is a Salt Lake landmark with their own root beer made into gorgeous root beer floats. This is the place for classic burgers and lots of fry sauce.

The Training Table is another old Salt Lake favorite with lots of gourmet burger combinations and deadly-but worth it-cheese fries. Once you've figured out what you want, you call in your order with the phone at your table. But the thing you have to try here is my favorite fry sauce--made with a somewhat spicy barbecue sauce instead of ketchup.

But the all time best burger I've ever eaten we just found last weekend by following the restaurant reviews I've been reading for this series of posts. It is in the Lucky 13 Bar at 135 West 1300 South. I don't know how to describe it--just an exquisite bun and good fresh hamburger and bacon. Lots of good options for toppings and you have to try the rosemary garlic fries.

Once you've tried these out, stop by the Generation Maps booth in the vendor's hall and let me know which one you think was best.

Presenter Profile: David Ouimette, CG

2010-04-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

David Ouimette, CG, is Manager of Content Strategy at FamilySearch. His responsibilities include identifying the most valuable records for genealogical research worldwide and prioritizing records to digitally preserve and make available online. He has conducted onsite family history research and participated in records negotiations in Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and much of the United States. He previously worked in software development and product management at Ancestry.com. David has lectured at the National Genealogical Society and Federation of Genealogical Societies national conferences and the Samford and Salt Lake Institutes of Genealogy. His research specialties include Ireland, Quebec, and New England. He has contributed articles to Ancestry Magazine, APG Quarterly, Crossroads, The Septs, and BYU Family Historian. David is the author of Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide (Provo: Ancestry, 2005). He currently serves as Vice President of the Utah Genealogical Association and is responsible for publishing Crossroads magazine.

NGS Classes:

Wednesday, 28 April 2010 in the "International" Track at 11:00 a.m.

Discovering Your French-Canadian Heritage

Saturday, 1 May 2010 in the "Records" Track at 9:30 a.m.

We All Descend from Immigrants-Discovering Old World Origins from U.S. Records

Presenter Profile: Bill Mangum, B.S.

2010-04-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Bill Mangum has 18+ years of experience in the software industry working for FamilySearch.org, Citrix, Novel, WordPerfect, and others. He has worked for FamilySearch for over 7 years and has learned a lot from dedicated genealogist and archivists from around the world. He finds great reward in bringing communities together to accomplish more than any one of them could do alone.

Bill has spent time in California, Utah, Florida, and Massachusetts. He has loved each of these areas but the mountains keep him coming back to Utah. He graduated from Brigham Young University. He has a beautiful wife and 4 wonderful children. Genealogy chose him and he is still trying to figure out how that happened but he loves the challenge and helping people to solve the challenges and mysteries that they encounter in finding evidence of their Family.

Bill has had the privilege to speak many Genealogy venues including: FGS Conferences, BYU Conferences, Family History Expo events, UGA Conferences, BYU Education week, and other venues. Each of these brings opportunities to learn from those that participate at the events. He is looking forward to speaking at the Utah 2010 NGS conference and sharing his expertise.

NGS Class: Wednesday, 28 April 2010 in "GenTech" Track at 2:30 p.m.

Blazing Digital Trails at FamilySearch: From Record Discovery to Links and Conclusions

Traveling to Salt Lake--Fast Food

2010-04-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the model for and first franchise of Kentucky Fried Chicken was built in Salt Lake City? It's still there today at 3900 South and State Street.

And did you ever hear of fry sauce? It's a sauce of mayo and ketchup and sometimes a few other secret ingredients that you dip french fries in. During the 2002 olympics visitors were all agog with this Utah staple. At that time Katie Couric said it was a good thing she didn't live here or she would weigh quite a bit more. Now you can find fry sauce all over the place.

And then, how about a pastrami burger common to Salt Lake City? Its roots are in Utah's Greek Immigrant population that came with the mining boom resulting from the completion of the Transcontinental railroad. Several of the children who grew up in Salt Lake's Greektown opened burger joints including Apollo Burger, Olympus Burger and the home of Utah's first pastrami burger--Crown Burger. Thus many burger joints in Utah boast Gyros and Baklava along with the fries and shakes. The pastrami burger is usually served with as much pastrami as beef and a slather of thousand island dressing and swiss cheese. You can find one to the west of the Family History Library at the corner of Third West and North Temple.

Traveling to Salt Lake--Award Winning Restaurants

2010-04-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've got some really good food for you here. This is my list of the BEST food in Salt Lake.

To start with I'd have to give a nod to the Diners Drive-ins and Dives picks for Salt Lake City. This is definitely the all time best stuff around and for good prices too. I am a DDD groupie, trying to catch as many as we can anytime we go to genealogy conferences. I can completely recommend the following.

Moochies--meatball sandwiches and philly cheesesteaks to die for. 232 East 800 South.
Red Iguana--there is usually such a wait for this one they opened a second one down the street. Skip the first at 736 West North Temple and go to the second at 866 W South Temple. Famous for outstanding moles.
Pat's Barbeque. Pulled pork and incredible deserts at 155 West Commonwealth Avenue (2125 South) .

Then a little further from downtown:

Blue Plate Diner--Five kinds of Eggs Benedict with other comfort foods and eclectic combinations. A little further out on 2041 South 2100 East.
Ruth's Diner--A tradition since 1930 in a beautiful setting up Emigration Canyon. (4160 Emigration Canyon Road.) Raspberry Chicken or Chicken Dijon are my favorites.

And thanks to this blog post, I've just found that there is a new one for Salt Lake that I need to go try. Lonestar Taqueria. I'm sure it will be another absolutely divine discovery. Again, a little further out at 2265 Fort Union Blvd.

And then I would recommend to you the Salt Lake Magazine's Dining Awards Hall of Fame list.
Again Red Iguana is there for the best Mexican. And there is also Takashi for best Japanese, Cucina Toscana (just south of the Salt Palace) for Best Italian, and Mazza for Best Mediterranean. Metropolitan and Bambara are also Salt Lake Magazine cosmopolitan restaurant favorites having won best chef several times and only a couple of blocks from the conference. They are all downtown except for Log Haven (best ambience--it has always been my favorite romantic restaurant) which is at 6451 East Milcreek Canyon Road.

And then Dining in Utah has several great suggestions including two barbeque places I want to try. Q 4 U has just moved out to 3951 West and 5400 South --a bit of a drive from downtown--but they say that citysearch.com voted them in the top 10 barbeque places in the US. And Sugarhouse Barbeque's site boasts the that it has been named the best barbeque place in Utah 10 years running. At 2207 South 700 East, it's not quite as far of a drive.

Now you have to stay for three weeks to try them all out ;-) But think of all the family history you'll accomplish while you are gaining all that weight. Trust me. With these restaurants it will be worth it.

Traveling to Salt Lake--Shopping

2010-04-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

My shopping post is going to be short and sweet. I know you are all going to be so busy working on your family history rather than going shopping, but just in case you get the inclination, my recommendation for shopping centers that are near downtown are the Gateway and Trolley Square.

The Gateway is just a couple of blocks to the west of the Library--you can hop on Trax and head down to the Gateway easily because it is in the free fare zone. Besides the food court, there are numerous good restaurants, The Happy Sumo, Fleming's Steakhouse, Tucanos Brazillian Grill, and McGrath's Fish House. And you definitely don't want to miss the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. But then there are some great stores there too. Everything from Ann Taylor and Coldwater Creek to Sanctuary Day Spa and The Walking Company.

Trolley Square is a 100 year old trolley depot that was turned into an upscale shopping area. It is over on Seventh East between Fifth and Sixth South. There are lots of exclusive little shops, jewelry stores and art galleries making Trolley Square a fun treasure hunt. Don't miss the Old Spaghetti Factory, Rodizio Grill or the Wiseguys Comedy Club.

And if you happen to need a regular drugstore, there is the RiteAid at 72 South Main (one block east of the conference) and the Walmart at 1300 South and 300 West. This Walmart is easily accessible--just a half block west of the 1300 South stop on Trax.

Traveling to Salt Lake--Restaurants close by

2010-04-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

For restaurants, I thought I'd start with the places to grab a bite that are closest to the conference and the Family History Library. There is a great map of downtown, showing a list of restaurants and nightlife on a wider range, but let me tell you about the places closest to the conference.

The closest, closest restaurant is JBs on the corner of West Temple and South Temple right in between the library and the Salt Palace. If you are not to picky, and just don't want to walk anywhere, JB's is your place.

But if you are willing to walk a block (1/8 of a mile), there are lots of other great options right near the library and the Salt Palace.

To the South, on Second south, is Toaster's Deli. With a wide assortment of sandwiches, soups and salads, this coffee shop is an award winning place to grab a bite and get back to the conference.

To the East of the Salt Palace there are lots of other great options too. Common chain restaurants within a block are the Olive Garden at the South East corner of the Convention Center, and Benihanas across the street to the East. A new restaurant winning high awards is called the Naked Fish Bistro where you can get reservations on the website. It is right across the street from the Salt Palace on the corner of 1st South. I haven't tried it yet, but I've seen reviews all over the place. It is supposed to be fantastic Japanese cuisine. Just past the Naked Fish on First South is Cafe Molise, a good Italian restaurant with a nice garden patio and Jazz on Friday nights.

There are three favorites with the locals on the block between first and second south too. Siegfried's Delicatessen is one of my favorites from from my high school days and even though it has changed hands and changed locations it is still a great place to get authentic German food on Second South. And Lamb's Grill, is like a step back in time and is a favorite for breakfast with locals, but really has great food all around. Lamb's is on the other side of the block on Main Street between first and second south. Then of course, there is Blue Iguana with big plates of great Mexican food in a basement place down in the middle of the block.

The hotels close by have some good restaurants too. To the South is the Marriott with Elevations Restaurant, Destinations Lounge, and Starbucks. Elevations is the Marriott's American/Continental restaurant. The Hilton is a favorite place with Spencer's for Steaks and Chops. You can book reservations on their website and I highly recommend it. And the Radisson to the North of the Conference Center has the Copper Canyon Grill House, another great place where you can't go wrong with most anything on the menu.

Then to the North and East along South Temple, on the East side of Temple Square you'll find the Joseph Smith Memorial Building with the Roof, Garden Restaurant and Nauvoo Cafe, and just beyond that in Brigham Young's historic home, the Lion House Pantry. The Roof is a fine restaurant on the tenth floor with sweeping views of Salt Lake and a large gourmet buffet. The Garden Restaurant is on the other side of the floor, same view but with a more casual setting and smaller prices. And the Nauvoo Cafe is on the main floor of the Joseph Smith Building with fabulous sandwiches and bread pudding to die for. Then the Lion House Pantry is your place for home style cooking with famous rolls and food that has inspired a popular line of cookbooks.

So there you have it. There are plenty of great options right next to the conference center and the library. You don't even have to go very far.

Presenter Profiles: David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FIGRS, FUGA

2010-04-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

David E. Rencher is employed by the Family History Department in Salt Lake City as the Chief Genealogical Officer for FamilySearch. A professional genealogist since 1977, he was accredited in Ireland research in 1981. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 1980 with a B.A. in Family and Local History. He is the Irish course coordinator and instructor for the Samford Unviersity Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR) in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a past president of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) 1997-2000) and of the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA) 1993-1995 and a Fellow of that organization.

NGS Classes:

Wednesday, 28 April in the "International" track at 11:00 a.m.

Out of Ashes - Irish Genealogical Collections

Thursday, 29 April in the "British Isles" track at 9:30 a.m.

Chasing the Poor and Landless in Ireland

Friday, 30 April in the "GenTeck" Track at 8:00 a.m.

Doing Research in Real Time-an Exhilarationg Collaboration Experience

Friday, 30 April in the "BCG Skillbuilding" Track at 4:00 p.m.

Intepreting and Evaluation Name Lists

Saturday, 1 May in the "GenTech" Track at 9:30 a.m.

FamilySearch and its Unique Role in the Genealogical Community

Saturday, 1 May in the "NGS GenTeck Luncheon"

The Top 10 Areas Where Technology Can Still Make a Real Difference in Genealogy-Could You Please Hurry?

Traveling to Salt Lake--Traffic, Parking and Construction oh my!

2010-04-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

One of the first things that is going to hit you in Salt Lake is the issue of transportation. Like every major city, there's good and bad for you there. Let me see if I can help.

Right off the top, I won't hide the bad news from you. There is a major construction project going on right next to the Salt Palace Convention Center and the Family History Library right now. It is going to be a fabulous addition to downtown Salt Lake, but right now its only contribution is orange cones and covered sidewalks. I don't get really frustrated with it though, because downtown Salt Lake is going to be so much more fabulous next time you come to visit with pedestrian malls, cafes, running streams and fountains and great shopping. You can see what they are planning at the City Creek Conceptual Tour video. It's actually the ending part of a huge master plan most of which is now finished with many other beautiful projects. I'll tell you about some of those in the next posts.

But the good news is that I've got lots of resources for you in traveling through Salt Lake and it really is an easy city to navigate. When the pioneers arrived, they mapped out Salt Lake from Temple Square in a perfect grid pattern that doesn't get messed up until you get out into the suburbs. Then the streets are numbered as to whether they are north, south, east or west of Temple Square in a latitude and longitude fashion. Philadelphia, Manhattan and Washington DC were laid out in a similar way, as well as Oklahoma City and Austin, Texas.

My elementary school teacher taught me that early pioneer leader Brigham Young wanted to be able to turn around a wagon with a team of four oxen to be able to do a u-turn in the street without using too much profanity. I've mused over the years how really quite brilliant that was because modern downtown Salt Lake doesn't have the tiny streets and many one way alleys that most modern cities have. Most of the time there is plenty of room for the traffic.

If you are coming to the airport and renting a car, you'll need a map from the airport to the Salt Palace. Salt Lake Valley has a fabulous traffic site called Commuter Link that has maps showing traffic and construction and even accidents, and has cameras throughout the valley where you can see the current traffic situations. You can always check there if you are traveling the freeways around the valley.

And then there's parking... The best place to park for the conference is at the Salt Palace itself. The entrance to the lot is on the South side of the building, and the cost is only $10 a day with no in and out privileges. There is other nearby parking and the prices are reasonable. Or if you want to get a little walking in, here's a parking map that encompasses a larger section of downtown.

Or if you are staying further out in the valley from downtown, you can avoid parking all together and park along the Trax Light Rail Route. You can check the schedules if you want to, but I never do--they basically depart every 15 minutes. For $4 round trip, it is a quick on and off, a really easy way to avoid the traffic. If you are already parked, and want to explore a little downtown, there is a Free Fare Zone on Trax, where you can just hop on and off without paying anything, to visit restaurants and shopping or whatever, without having to look for another parking place.

And we'll get to the best of the restaurants and shopping coming up shortly...

And if you have any comments or think I've missed anything, please please please add a comment. I'm sure there is lots of other good advice on traveling Salt Lake out there. Please add yours.

Presenter Profile: Diane Loosle, A.G., C.G.

2010-04-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Diane C. Loosle, is an Accredited Genealogist^SM and a Certified Genealogist^®. She has a Bachelors degree in History with an emphasis in Family History and Genealogy and a Masters of Business Administration. She has worked at the Family History Library for the past sixteen years as a British Reference Consultant, British Reference Unit Supervisor, Customer Experience Manager and is currently the FamilySearch Genealogical Community Services Manager.

Diane’s research passions include English and Scottish research with special interest in land and court records. Diane enjoys camping, hiking, biking and traveling.

NGS Classes:

1)Thursday, 29 April 2010 in the "British Isles" track at 4 pm

FamilySearch's Toools and Resources for the United Kingdom and Ireland

2)Friday, 30 April 2010 in the "GenTech" track at 2:30 pm

FamilySearch Research Tools for Genealogists

Traveling to Salt Lake--at the perfect time.

2010-04-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

There are at least two reasons NGS scheduled their conference on the perfect week in Salt Lake.

1) Sam Weller's bookstore is starting a massive moving sale.
If you are a bibliophile, or western history buff, or interested in any topic that has ever had a book written on it, you haven't lived until you've been to Sam Weller's Bookstore. This bookstore has one of the largest collections of used books west of the Mississippi with a large selection of nonfiction books about the West. It boasts over 1 million volumes, all subjects—new, used, rare and is one of America's finest and largest bookstores. I can happily get lost in there for hours and hours.
Last month, Sam Weller's announced that they would be changing locations. And to get ready for the move, they started a sale to thin their stock on March 16th. They started with offering all used books and most rare books at 25% off and then discounts will deepen as the move approaches. I think perusing the shelves there is a must for NGS conference goers.

2) The conference falls on Salt Lake City's restaurant week.
The week's Dine-o-Round celebration has 37 of the best restaurants in Salt Lake participating by offering dinner for either $15 or $30 and most of them have lunches for either $5 or $10. Many of the restaurants on the list are award winning places to eat. (more on that to come.) There are no coupons or punch cards, You can just ask for the Dine-o-round special. The website has links to each of the participating websites where you can check on menus and locations. I think the hard part is going to be picking which ones I want to go to.

So get ready to take advantage of these two great opportunities while you are learning about how to become an expert genealogist.

Presenter Profile: Anka Schjerven Haslam, A.G.

2010-04-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Anka Haslam was born and raised in beautiful Norway. She has travelled extensively throughout northern Europe and "walked" many cemeteries there. She is accredited in Norwegian. anka is an International Research Consultant at the Family History Library, and mother of 6 children. She loves people, reading, traveling, gardening, and of course genealogy.

NGS Class: On Wednesday, 28 April, 2010 on the "International" Track at 2:30 p.m.

Norway/Denmark Workshop

Traveling to Salt Lake

2010-04-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

We're counting down now. Tomorrow it will be three weeks until the opening day of the conference. We are so excited you are coming.

I'm Janet Hovorka, currently serving as Vice President of the host society, the Utah Genealogical Association. As we've gotten closer to the conference, I've gotten permission to jump in here and tell you about this city that I love. I spent a large chunk of my growing up years here on the Wasatch Front and I also spent a large chunk of my growing up years traveling. Consequently, I want to make sure you make the most of your visit.

To start with, let me give you some of the best websites for touristy information. If you are the type who wants to know every detail (like I am sometimes), you'll want to get well acquainted with these sites. If you're busy packing and just want the highlights, (like I am other times) stay tuned and I'll make sure you know what you need to.

My favorite site for the how to of visiting Salt Lake is the Downtown Alliance. This site is chock full of events, shopping, eating, news and etc organized well and correlated with maps and crucial information. This website is especially useful for NGS conference goers because it focuses on downtown Salt Lake--the area right around the library and the Salt Palace Convention Center.

The Salt Lake Visitor's Bureau has a great site too with shopping, activities and eating and etc. but covers the whole valley (Salt Lake and it's suburbs.) The cool thing about the Visitor's Bureau is that their offices are in the Salt Palace Convention Center, just next door to where NGS is to be held. So you'll easily be able to stop by there for directions and pamphlets and such. The site currently has a genealogy section right up front in conjunction with the Who Do You Think You Are TV program.

The Official Salt Lake City Government Site is a good site for all things Salt Lake, but the visitor's section of the site mainly points to other sites listed here. Since you won't be paying your water bill, you can pretty much pass this one up. Unless you are going to be paying for a traffic ticket, in which case you'll want to keep this one in mind.

If you are driving to the conference, you may want to take a look at the Utah State Office of Tourism website. It has wonderful resources on the other places you might want to stop off at on your way in or out of the state. Of course, if you are coming up from the South at all, you really need to take an extra day and visit some of the spectacular state parks that Utah is so proud of. Likewise Go-Utah is a great site for trip planning throughout the state.

Utah Travel Center is a conglomeration site with all sorts of information on Salt Lake City pulled from various sources. And Citysearch has user submitted reviews on everything from shopping and resturaunts to bars and churches. So it's a useful one too.

Take a look at those, and stay tuned as I take you through the ins and outs of traveling to Salt Lake City.

Archivist of the United States at the Conference

2010-04-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Come join us in welcoming the 10th Archivist of the United States, David S. Ferriero.

The Meet and Greet event will take place in Room 355B of the Salt Palace Convention Center from 4:30 to 5:30 PM on Thursday, 29 April.

Mr. Ferriero was sworn into office on 13 November 2009 and is the first librarian to serve in the post. He has worked at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts and was the University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. In 2004, he became the Director of the New York Public Libraries. Mr. Ferriero also served in the Navy during the Vietnam War.

The Meet and Greet will immediately follow the Records Preservation and Access Meeting. Both events are open to all conference attendees.

2010-03-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

Need Films from the Vault for your visit to the Family History Library?

Follow these directions:

Use the online Family History Library Catalog to determine if the films you need are immediately available in the library. We are unable to store all microfilms at the library. Films listed in the catalog as "Vault" films may take up to three days to retrieve. Before your visit, you can request the microfilms you need by e-mail, or fax.

Click here to e-mail your request. To call in an order by telephone, call (801) 240-7378 for films with records from the United States and Canada, (801) 240-7379 for films with records from the British Isles, and (801) 240-2334 for films from any other country. To fax in your order call (801) 240-1924.

Take a few minutes to review the section on the FamilySearch website on Preparing to Visit the Library, you may pick up some good information that will save you precious time!

Presenter Profile: Jim Ison, AG, CG

2010-03-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

Jim Ison, AG, CG, is the manager of strategy and planning at the FamilySearch support division. He was the first director of the FHC at the the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

NGS Classes: Friday, 30 April, 2010 on the "African American" Track at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Migration Patterns: An Alternative for Locating African Origins (9:30)

Using the Genealogical Proof Standard for African American Research (2:30)

Presenter Profile: Christopher McAfee

2010-03-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

Christopher is a bookbinder, book artist, and a book and paper conservator who is experienced with archival materials, examinations and treatments. He is skilled in a broad range of bookbinding and conservation techniquest and knowledgeable in several aspects of preservation. He began his career when a leaky water heater caused several of his personal memorabilia to be water-damaged. This led Chris to pursue a career in conservation with the idea that he could not only better preserve his own records but help others do the same.

He currently works for the LDS Church History Department conserving and preserving books, documents, and other artifacts.

NGS Class: Friday, 30 April, 2010 on the "Research" Track at 2:30 p.m.

The Science of Keeping Records

Presenter Profile: Geoffrey Fröberg Morris

2010-03-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Geoffrey Froberg Morris, AG, was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is a graduate of the University of Utah, with a B.A., in Philiosphy. Geoff is currently employed at the Family History Library working with the Scandinavian reference team. He has been working with the Swedish records for 20 years and has his acreditation in Swedish and Danish research through ICAPGen.

NGS: Thursday, 29 April 2010 on the "International" track at 8:00 p.m.

Sweden Workshop

Presenter Profile: Keith Rose

2010-03-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Mr. Rose has been employed by the Family History Library for thirty-five years in various capacities. He currently is a Senior Cataloger responsible for the cataloging of Romance language materials. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Master of Library Science degree from Brigham Young University. He specializes in Italian genealogical research . He is accredited by ICAPGEN. He makes frequent trips to Italy for “on-site” research and hosts tour groups visiting Italy and other European countries.

NGS Class: Wednesday, 28 April, 2010 at 2:30 P.M. in the "International" Track

Italy Workshop

Presenter Profile: Sonja Hoeke-Nishimoto

2010-03-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

Sonja has been employed by the Family History Library since May, 1985. She has bween a professional Germanic and Slavic researcher since 1982. She recived her Accreditation in German research in 1988 and her Swiss accrediatation in 2006. She is especially interested in the eastern provinces of the old German empire. Areas of research include Germany, Switzerland, Poland and Austria. Of special personal interest to her is the region of Silesia where her mother's family is from and Saxony, where her father's family is from.

Sonja has spoken at various Genealogical conferences in the U.S. and also in Poland and is an author of several genealogical reference books. She was born in Frankfurt/Main, Germany and immigrated as a child to the United States growing up in Minnesota and California. She has 2 children and 4 grandchildren.

NGS Class: Friday, April 30, 2010 in the "Polish" track at 8:00 am

On-site Research in Poland

Presenter Profile: Barbara Baker

2010-03-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

Barbara Baker, A.G., has worked at the Family History Library for twenty-five years, most of the time as a British Research Consultant. She was the chief contributor to a libary resource known as the "Scottish Church Records Union List," which is a guide to church records of Scotland prior to 1855 when government or civil registration began. When this resource was complete, it was available only at the Family History Libary. With the help of volunteers, the union list is now available in the FamilySearch Wiki.

Accredited by ICAPGen in English genealogical research since 1988. Scotland accreditation is in process.

NGS Class: on Thursday, April 29, 2010 in the "British Isles" Track at 11:00 am

Finding Your Ancestors in Scotland before 1855

Presenter Profile: David Dilts

2010-03-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

David Dilts, A.G. is a Senior Research Consultant is U.S. and Canada Reference at the Family History Library. He has served in ICAPGen and the Utah Genealogical Association.

Recent presentations: ICAPGen, Boston, MA, BYU Computerized Genealogy, UGA, Fresno, CA, San Jose, CA, Grand Junction, CO. He is accredited in LDS Records and German research.

NGS Class: on Friday, April 30, 2010 in the "African American" Track at 8:00 am

Beginning African American Research

Presenter Profile: Ancestry Insider

2010-03-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Ancestry Insider pens one of the "25 Most Popular Genealogy Blogs for 2009," according to ProGenealogists. He focuses on the two big genealogy organizations, Ancestry.com and FamilySearch. He currently works for one and previously worked for the other. The Insider's blog was named one of the "101 Best Web Sites" by Family Tree Magazine for both 2008 and 2009.

A genealogical technologist, the Insider has a post technology degree and holds patents in the United States and abroad. He has done genealogy since 1972 and has worked in the computer industry since 1978. Attendees of his conference classes are among the few nationalwide to learn his secret identity. And he really is descended from an Indian princess.

NGS Class: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 4pm in the "GenTech" track

Blog your Way to Genealogical Success

Presenter Profile: Baerbel K. Johnson

2010-03-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

Baerbel K. Johnson, accredited genealogist, works at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City as International Research Consultant. She holds degrees in Family and Local History Studies and Sociology from BYU, and has over twenty years of extensive experience in European family history research with emphasis on Germany.

NGS Class: On Thursday, 29 April, 2010 on the "International" Track at 11:00 am

Understanding Occupations in German Research

On Friday, 30 April 2010 on the "International" Track at 4:00 pm

Internet Sources for Location Your Nineteenth-century German Immigrant

Sounds very helpful for those with German ancestry.

Presenter Profile: Don R. Anderson

2010-03-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

Don R. Anderson is the Sr Vice President for FamilySearch. In this role Don has responsibility for overall patron services which includes The Family History Library, family history centers, and Worldwide Support Services. His responsibility is to provide help to individuals searching for ancestors using the resources of FamilySearch. This includes The Family History Library in addition to software and services found on FamilySearch.org. FamilySearch support resources are accessed worldwide in person, via telephone, e-mail, and on the Internet.

In this role, Don is leading efforts to bring training, resources, and help to patrons of FamilySearch worldwide where the patrons want it, anytime they want it, and in the way in which they want to receive it.

Don is married to the former Anne Russell and they are the parents of two boys.

NGS

Friday, April 30th, 2010 at 12:15 in the FamilySearch Luncheon Track

FamilySearch's Latest Research Tools: Genealogists Take Note!

Come, enjoy the food and the great presentation!

2010-03-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Ruth Lapioli Merriman is the manager of the International Research Consultation Unit in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
She holds a BA in English and a Masters in Library and Information Science from BYU. She has worked in the Family History department for over 25 years. Ruth is also accredited in Italian Research with ICAPGen. She has lectured at BYU, ICAPGen, numerous family history expos and other conferences, including the IV Colloquio Internazionale di Genealogia in Bologna, Italy.

She and her husband are the parents of four sons and two lovely daughters-in-law, and are just now experiencing the pangs of being empty nesters. She is a terminal genealogist and hopes to infect all those with whom she comes in contact.

NGS Classes:

On Wednesday, 28 Apr 2010 at 2:30 in the "International" track:

Italy Workshop

On Thursday, 29 Apr 2010 at 2:30 in the "International" track:

Italian Marriage Records...more than you think

Enjoy!

Attend "Genealogy Kids Camp"

2010-03-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

The NGS 2010 Family History Conference will feature a "Genealogy Kids Camp" on Saturday. 1 May 2010 from 9 am to noon! This camp is designed for youth ages 8 and older and the Scouting Merit Badge will also be offered as one of the projects to work on.

To Register follow these steps:

Go to http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/

There is a "Genealogy Kids Camp" box on the right hand side of the page with the words, "click here to register today"

Read the top and create a web profile. After you have created your profile, it will take you back to the Online Store.

Fill our the registration information for Kids Camp, give the number of children attending, select, "check out". Click check-out (the amount will be $0.00).

On the checkout page, review the information. To receive a confirmation, check the appropriate e-mail confirmation choice at the bottom of the page. Click "Submit Order."

Your all set to come and have a great time with your family as you share the fun of discovering your ancestors with your children!

Attend the NGS Banquet at the 2010 NGS Conference and you could win an iPod

2010-03-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

Would you like to have a chance to win an 8GB iPod Touch, case, and a $15 Best Buy gift card? If you attend the NGS Banquet, you will be automatically entered to win just that! The prize package is courtesy of Best Buy 527, South Salt Lake City, Utah. The drawing for the winner will be held during the NGS Banquet on Friday night of the conference, 30 April 2010, in room 355. The winner must be present to claim the prize.

If you haven't signed up for the Banquet yet, there is still time. To add the Banquet to your existing registration, please log on at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/attendee_registration, click on the link Register Today, proceed to search for the NGS Banquet, add to your cart, and then proceed to check out.

Presenter Profile: Liz Anderson

2010-03-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

Liv was born in Kristiansund, Norway, and had her first encounter with genealogy at the Trondheim Archive at age 12.

Liv has worked for the Church in Family History for a total of 30 years. At first 5 years in the Evaluation Department, processing Individual entry sheets, and marriage entry sheets for temple work. She worked 11 years in the Cataloging Department, and since November of 1995 as a Scandinavian Research Consultant. She is certified by the Board of Certification of Genealogists.

NGS Class: on 28 April 2010 at 2:30 pm on the International Track

Norway/Denmark Workshop

Presenter Profile: Jay L. Verkler

2010-03-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

Mr. Verkler currently serves as the President and CEO of FamilySearch and the managing director of the Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mr. Verkler has previously served in various executive positions within innovative Silicon Valley companies such as Oracle Corporation, inCommon Inc., TIBCO Software, Vitria Technology, Inc. and Sales.com.

Mr. Verkler studied electrical engineering, computer science and chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as Japanese and Asian studies at Harvard University.

NGS: April 28, 2010 - Opening Session

From the Granit Mountain to the Ends of the World

Take a never-before-seen video tour of the largest repository of genealogy records in the world – the Granite Mountain Records Vault. The Vault protects billions of records gathered from governments, churches, and other archives around the world. From there, the tour continues as we explore trends and resources that will enable these and other records to be viewed worldwide.

Reminder: Earlybird Registration...

2010-03-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

The NGS "EarlyBird" registration will end on Monday, March 8, 2010 for the upcoming conference being held in Salt Lake City the last week in April. While many of the events offered are free to the public, there is a charge for the conference and the wonderful classes and workshops being offered. This discount is only available if you register early.

If you are interested in registering for this conference and receiving the early bird discount, please go to: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/attendee_registration

See you there!

2010-03-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

Sylvie Pysnak, AG® was born and raised in the Czech Republic. She is currently employed by the Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Slavic Research Consultant in the International Research Consultation Unit at the Family History Library. Sylvie is accredited in Czech research, has a working knowledge of many Eastern European languages and has researched on-site in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.

She has been writing publications and has taught at various conferences since 1998. Sylvie and her husband Bernard live in Bountiful, Utah, and are the parents of four children and grandparents of very cute grandson.

NGS Class: April 29, 2010: International Track at 8:00 a.m.

Eastern Europe Workshop

Presenter Profile: Joan Evans Healey

2010-03-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

Joan is accredited in United States-Midwestern States. She works as a Research Consultant in the United States and Canada Reference unit of the Family History Library and is actively interested in African American and American Indian research. Membership in ICAPGen and on the board of Utah Genealogical Association.

She has lectured at conferences: Salt Lake Genealogy Institute, ICAPGen, Utah Genealogical Association, and Brigham Young University .

NGS Class: April 30, 2010 at 11:00 am on The African American Track

Bureau of Refugees, Freedman, and Abandoned Land Records

So much to learn!

Speaker Profile: Robert Raymond

2010-02-26T12:23:00.000-08:00

Robert Raymond is a content strategy analyst for FamilySearch, the largest genealogical organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Before FamilySearch, Robert worked at Ancestry.com for nearly six years. He is the staff trainer at a local Family History Center where he can be found in the trenches every Wednesday night. Robert is the shadow writer for one of the web’s most popular genealogical blogs and is the creator, author, and webmaster of an acclaimed family history website where he has published 1,700 pages of information, including numerous articles, dozens of personal histories, dozens of maps (several of his own creation), and photographs of hundreds of pages of genealogical records. Robert holds over a dozen technology patents and has a masters degree in electrical/computer engineering from Brigham Young University where he was honored as a Kimball Scholar.

NGS Class: Friday, April 30, 2010 at 8 a.m. on GenTrack

Doing Research in Real Time - An Exhilarating Collaboration Experience!

Speaker Profile: Ismael Orrantia

2010-02-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

Ismael Orrantia, started doing genealogy research in 1989 by going to the Catholic Church archives and also the civil registry. After moving to Utah in 1997 he continued his research in the Family History Library, has identify his ancestors back to Spain in the Valle de Mena at the north part of Spain back to the mid 1500’s and also his mother side of the family are from the pyramids in Monte Alban. From that day on he has studied about research in Latin-America. Ismael works in the Family History Library as a Research Consultant for Latin-America.

Ismael Orrantia is married to Veronica and have one daughter. In his free time he is a volunteer in the indexing program for familysearch.

NGS CLASS: Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 8am

"Hispanic Workshop" on the International Track

Speaker Profile: Michael Ritchey

2010-02-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

Michael Ritchey has worked for FamilySearch since 2000 as a U.S. Reference Consultant at the Family History Library, as manager of Research Support, and most recently as a community content manager of FamilySearch Wiki, a site full of research advice written for the community and by the community. Michael is a former family history center director, Family History Consultant, and professional freelance genealogist.

NGS Class: Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 8:00 am on the "GenTech" track.

"FamilySearch Research Wiki: Why I Participate"

Enjoy!

Digitizing Your Family Records - Free to the Public at NGS

2010-02-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

Scanning Announcement...An opportunity to preserve those precious photos and/or documents for future generations.

Ancestry.com is excited to provide NGS Conference attendees the opportunity to have their family photos and documents scanned at the conference, for free, on our professional scanning equipment. It’s a unique opportunity to have your family history records digitized!

Conference attendees can sign up for 15-minute scanning sessions on Wednesday, April 28, through Saturday, May 1, to be held during the exhibit hall hours. Scanning-session signs-ups will open each morning—sign up Wednesday morning for a Wednesday time slot, Friday morning for a Friday time slot. Details on the scanning room location to come soon.

Will you be bringing items to scan? Please help us plan accordingly by letting us know how much and what you’ll be bringing. (http://2010ngsscanning.eventbrite.com/)

Scanning Details You’ll Want to Know
Document types accepted

We can scan any document type, but the maximum size supported is 22" by 15". Any type of photograph, including tintypes, is accepted. Unfortunately we can not scan slides.
More recent photographs or stable documents can be scanned at a much quicker rate on our high-speed scanner – meaning that you can have more documents scanned during your scanning session. Fragile or historical documents, photographs, bound books or albums and similar will be photographed.We can scan any document type, but the maximum size supported is 22" by 15". Any type of photograph, including tintypes, is accepted. Unfortunately we can not scan slides.
More recent photographs or stable documents can be scanned at a much quicker rate on our high-speed scanner – meaning that you can have more documents scanned during your scanning session. Fragile or historical documents, photographs, bound books or albums and similar will be photographed.
Copyright and re-publishing rights for the material are strictly the responsibility of patrons, but we reserve the right to reject any document for any reason.
There is always a possibility that damage to older, more fragile documents may occur during the scanning process. Ancestry.com urges patrons to use their best judgment when choosing documents to be scanned.

Document preparation

Before your scanning session, please remove all staples, pins, and fasteners as well as any tape or sticky material from your photos and documents. These items can harm the scanning equipment.
Please sort all of your documents and pictures by size, largest to smallest, before entering your session. This will enable our scanners to more effectively finish your documents in the time allotted.
Photos mounted in an album will be digitized as a single image. Bound books do not need to be unassembled, but can be quite slow to digitize. Material stored in sleeves should be removed prior to the scanning session; materials remaining in sleeves will be digitized with the sleeves in place.

Scheduling

You will be able to sign up for a 15-minute time slot, on a first come, first served basis. This time slot will include any document preparation not completed prior to the scanning session, so proper document preparation is crucial (see above).
Generally we can scan about 50 documents per person in a 15-minute slot, more if documents and photos are newer and/or not fragile.
Due to demand, we can accommodate only one scanning session per person during the conference.
The scanned files will be saved to a thumb drive (provided by Ancestry.com) and given to attendees for their own use.

Speaker Profile: Craig H. Miller

2010-02-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

Craig Miller currently serves as Senior Vice President of FamilySearch.org. He is responsible for the product strategy of FamilySearch’s products and services.

Prior to employment with FamilySearch.org, he has worked as a private engineering consultant, worked for Novell as Vice President and General Manager and worked as an engineer for the Air Force.

He graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Electrical Engineering.

NGS Class: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 11 am

Genealogy in a Cloud: Guaranteed to turn the Genealogical World as you know it Upside Down!

Speaker Profile: Daniel Schlyter

2010-02-16T15:27:00.000-08:00

Daniel Schlyter works in the Family History Library’s VIP and Public Services Unit where he does special projects involving European records. He has been assisting library patrons in using the library collection since 1978; 18 years in International Reference, 10 years in Collection Management and 2 years in US and Canada Reference. His specialization is in Eastern European, German, and Jewish research. He is an Accredited Genealogist for Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

His own ancestry is Scandinavian and he has done considerable research in Sweden and Denmark. Mr. Schlyter served on the board of directors of the Polish Genealogical Society of America from 1984 to 1999 and on the board of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies from 2000 to 2008. He has authored several genealogical books and numerous articles as well as Family History Library instructional material. His broad experience in genealogical research, acquisition and analysis makes him a real asset to the Library.

NGS Class: 29 April 2010 at 8am

Eastern Europe Workshop

Speaker Profile: Jim Greene

2010-02-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

Jim Greene was born and raised in Palo Alto, California, but also spent part of his childhood in Annandale, Virginia and Lakewood, Colorado. After serving a two year LDS Church mission to Argentina Jim graduated with a bachelor degrees in both Spanish and Business Management from BYU, then earned an MBA degree from Penn State.

Jim worked for IBM for 10 years in New York and Salt Lake City. He became a Product Manager with Novell over its flagship NetWare product, and after 10 years with Novell he felt prompted to join FamilySearch and work on the new FamilySearch project. He led the preliminary research phase where Product Managers traveled throughout the world interviewing people to help understand their family history needs. Seven years later Jim continues to work to bring out FamilySearch Products by ensuring that messaging and training is directed to appropriate audiences.

Jim is an avid bicyclist, and commutes daily to downtown SLC on his bike from his home in Sandy, UT. Jim and his wife Charity have 4 children and 1 grandchild.

NGS Class: Thursday, 29 April 2010 at 2:30 pm

The Power of Community and the Web 2.0: Tools to Foster Collaboration and Community

Early-bird Registration ends March 8th!

2010-02-14T15:49:00.000-08:00

The 2010 NGS Family History Conference has so much to offer! With a theme of "Follow Your Ancestral Trail" there will be something for everyone!

1-10 simultaneious talks during 5 time slots each day

2-An exhibition hall filled with genealogy-related products and services

3-Sponsored luncheons with great food and an engaging speaker

4-International Workshops for Eastern Europe, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Hispanic Countries

5-Beginner and Intermediate Expert Assistance with consulting on German, British, Canadian and general topics

6-Kid's Camp

7-Many great additional places to research besides the extended hours provided at the Family History Library

8-The Mormon Tabernacle Choir will perform a mini-concert at special conference opening, Thursday evening, April 29th

Early-rate up till March 8th! Register here at http://ngsgenealogy.org/cs/attendee_registration

Check out all the events right on this section of the NGS website!

Meet the editors of the NGS Quarterly at NGS Conference

2010-02-05T12:22:00.000-08:00

Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS, works full-time as a genealogical author, editor, educator, and researcher. A past president and former trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, he has co-edited the /National Genealogical Society Quarterly/ since 2002. Tom lectures frequently in national and local venues, where he is known for information-packed lectures benefitting genealogists at all skill levels. His many articles and lectures
address genealogical research methods, proof, and problem solving. Tom teaches “Evidence Evaluation and Documentation” in Boston University’s online and classroom-based genealogy certificate programs, “Advanced Genealogical Methods” at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and “Writing and Publishing for Genealogists” at Samford University’s Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research.

Melinde Lutz Sanborn, FASG, has been a genealogist since 1976. Author or editor of over forty books and numerous articles, she currently edits the New Hampshire Genealogical Record and co-edits the NGS Quarterly. She has held offices in many genealogical organizations and is currently Vice President of the American Society of Genealogists and Vice President of the Massachusetts Genealogical Council. She holds the ASG seat on the FGS RPAC committee and is the Program Director and a faculty member of Boston University’s Genealogical Research Certificate program.

The editors will be at the NGS Conference Booth on Thursday, 29 April, 2010 at 10:30 am!

Speaker Profile: Ruth Ellen Maness

2010-02-01T12:26:00.000-08:00

Ruth Ellen Maness, AG®, Sr. Research Consultant, International Unit FHL; Co-author, Passport to Paradise…; Legacy of Sacrifice…; Lecturer, Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), National Genealogical Society (NGS), BYU, ICAPGen conferences; Instructor, UGA Salt Lake Institute; Author, Scandinavia – Questions & Answers in Everton’s Genealogical Helper; Field trip experience in Scandinavia, Germany, most of U.S., England & South Africa.

NGS Class:

Advanced Swedish/Finnish Research

Speaker Profile-Evva Benson

2010-01-29T08:44:00.000-08:00

Evva C. Benson, AG grew up (mostly) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She attended Brigham Young University where she earned bachelors degrees in family history and economics. She served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil and Florida. Evva began working at the Family History Library as a British research consultant in 2000. She has earned her Accredited Genealogist credentials in England and Ireland and hopes to soon do the same for Scotland.

In her free time Evva enjoys hiking and the outdoors, spending time with her family, reading, making things, and eating cheese (all donations accepted).

Evva’s own ancestors come from England, Denmark, Scotland, one Irish line, and many American lines that she hasn’t yet had the courage to attempt tracing back “over the pond.” She is very grateful to all of her ancestors for their dedication and sacrifices so that she could have the blessings she has.

Evva will be teaching the following two courses at the upcoming NGS Conference:

“Lesser Known Irish Sources at the Family History Library”
“England and Wales: Solving research problems using probate records”

If your ancestors are from any of these locations make sure you don't miss these great presentations!

Family History Library Tips

2010-01-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

Tips for Visiting the Library...

Each year thousands of people visit the Family History Library...Check this site out to learn some quick tips to make the most of your visit. It covers floor plans, parking, hours, patron classes, and so much more! The site is located here:

http://fsbeta.familysearch.org/c/library_tips

Marie Varrelman Melchiori, CG, CGL

2010-01-04T03:00:00.000-08:00

Marie Varrelman Melchiori, CG, CGL specializes in Union and Confederate records at the National Archives, Washington, D.C. She was Certified in 1980 and served as BCG Trustee, 2000-2006. Marie was the Assistant Director of the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR) from 1987 to 2002 and continues to lecture on military records. She has lectured at NGS and FGS National Conferences since 1988 and has also lectured at Samford University's IGHR and the Salt Lake Institute. In 2009 and 2010 she was a co-director for the NGS Research Trip to Salt Lake City.

Marie joined APG in 1983, serving as Executive Vice President from 1991 to 1993 and as a Trustee from 1994 through 1999. She received APG's Smallwood Award of Merit in 1999. Marie is a charter member of the Genealogical Speakers' Guild and served as Vice President 1995-97.

She received a BS in Nursing from Rutgers University.

Marie will be presenting three lectures:

"Who Gets the Money? Records of the United States and Mexican Claims Commission 1839-1942"
"Using Records in the National Archives: A Researcher's View"
"Filmed National Archives Records NOT at the Family History Library"