Rootstech 2017 from across the pond

This year I am writing my review from the perspective of a UK family historian watching from afar and wishing she had made the journey across the pond.

When I first started to write this post I started to discuss what was happening in Salt Lake City. But I am not in Salt Lake City this year I am at home in Wales.
How can I write about a conference when I am not one of the attendees.

The Rootstech conference did not get underway until the Thursday but for me the excitement builds from the Monday.

In keeping with the tradition at 10am MST (SLC time) 5pm GMT the Rootstech week starts with Mondays with Myrt from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The usual panel (including me) has little to say as Pat Richley-Erickson aka DearMYRTLE interviews a variety of folks from across the globe who have made the journey to Utah arriving early enough to get some research time in the Family History Library. 

Later on Monday early attendees from the Commonwealth countries enjoyed another tradition the Commonwealth dinner. This year they went to the Blue Lemon and afterwards photographs appeared on the Geniaus blog. I must say that when I went in 2015 this was a great way to meet others prior to the conference.

Going to an event like a genealogy conference is a great way to network with other genealogists/family historians. I know that for many attending classes is low priority. We all love to find connections with others (especially someone who may have photographs) and with such a large group many do find a link. This year a cousin of someone I met in 2015 made a connection with Judy G Russell The Legal Genealogist after watching her talk on the live stream. I knew about this via facebook before she wrote her post but she illustrates my point so well (better than I could).

I managed to catch all the RootsTech General Sessions on the live streaming and some of the classes that were streamed. Now that the recordings are up, those I missed I can catch up with later, there are more than those that livestreamed. Some are US centric but may hold useful suggestions most are general and the keynotes, in particular, inspirational and passionate.

If watching or attending RootsTech does nothing more than provide inspiration to feed your passion for your family then it has done its job. But we need innovators to provide us with the means to record, communicate and preserve. 
Some of the technology advances have brought about the success of this conference in getting to folks across the world. In the early years you could lose the video if anyone else was online. This year those at home could vote using the RootsTech app on their phone. 

We need new ideas rather than more of the same. I wonder what the innovators in the industry will bring us next year.

Before I go here courtesy of Lilian Magill (in the lilac sweater) is a photograph of many of the Geneabloggers at RootsTech 2017, noticeably absent were Russ Worthington (aka Cousin Russ) and Thomas MacEntee (Geneabloggers).

The final event for many of those in the photograph was an evening to wind down with friends courtesy of DearMyrtle who has some of her friends visit her house for an after party.

I love seeing the photographs from the other get togethers which are not part of the main RootsTech event. These are as much about why we should attend as the conference and you cannot get what I call "the buzz" unless you are actually there. 
There will be lots of tired, enthusiastic people headed home today or in the coming week (some stay on to do research) but for many it is so good you want to come back again.
Maybe next year I can write a first hand report. (fingers crossed)

Worldwide Genimates

I'm a survivor!

Last month I blogged about my rash decision to join the 2016 Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I am pleased to report that I crossed the finish line on time last Saturday with around 1300 other bloggers.

It was a hard slog that ate into my precious time but it was worth the effort. One of the unexpected benefits was that it introduced me to a number of genealogy and history bloggers from around the world. I even discovered that one of my Surname Study contacts was a prolific blogger.

The result is that the number of feeds in my RSS reader has grown significantly.

Reading others' blog posts confirmed my bias towards reminiscing and stories hence the two standout blogs for me were from two Australians, a new contact and a social media mate. If you fancy trips down memory lane do visit Linda and Maureen.

While I saw many old friends in the challenge list some of the new to me blogs I discovered were:

GenWestUK - Ros - England
History Roundabout - ? - England
Molly's Canopy - Molly - USA
My Genealogy Challenges - Dianne - Canada
Old Scottish Genealogy and Blog - Penny and Fergus - Scotland
The Past Whispers - USA
Roots and Stuff - Mary - USA
Southern Graves - Stephanie - USA
Treetrack'n - Mary
The Writing Desk - Ros - England

But wait, there's more - Pauleen has compiled a list of geneabloggers who participated in the challenge.

April Alphabets

Yesterday I made the rash decision to join the 2016 A-Z Blogging Challenge. Now I am wondering when I will get time to eat and sleep as I follow some of the close to 2000 blogs that are on the list of participants.

I am hoping to give my CurryAus Surname Study a boost by blogging stories about Australian Currys (people not food) on my CurryAus blog. It's barely day two and the blog statistics have  already spiked.

One of the reasons I joined the activity was because many of my friends were taking part and secondly I wanted to meet and learn from some new bloggers - I've hooked up with a couple.

If you haven't time to join as a blogger please consider taking a a look at the list of participants and visiting and commenting (an important part of the event)  on their blogs.

Some of the newtome blogs I have discovered so far are:

Genwest UK  http://www.genwestuk.blogspot.com
The Curry Apple Orchard https://argonautsite.wordpress.com
My Genealogy Challenges http://genealogychallenges.blogspot.com
Southern Graves  http://blog.southerngraves.net/
Springhill History  http://www.springhillhistory.org.uk/blog-3/index.html
treetrack'n  http://treetrackn.blogspot.com

From Cave to Chapel

In one of my early posts on this blog I talked about W's, Who, What, When, Where and Why.

Today I am returning to Where, but not the where of my ancestors, it's the where of the place where I do most of researching and connecting, I call it my Geneacave. My issue is that I need a new name for my hideout.

We are empty nesters so I have a few choices for an office. For several years I used the small fourth bedroom but, after a while I found myself drowning in a sea of paper, files and techno toys so Mr GeniAus suggested that I move into bedroom 3 which is slightly larger. Bedroom 3, however, while it had more space only had a small window and didn't have much natural light (no good for webinars and hangouts). I worked happily there for a few years.

2013 - the move to Bedroom 3

Paddy the Pup was happy in Bedroom 3

Late last year, as we were getting rid of the paraphernalia that comes with small grandchildren I thought about the living room off the kitchen which we had dubbed the toyroom. It's a big room with two large windows and natural light, it's away from the bedroom zone and near the living end of the house, the router, kitchen and over a hall from Mr GeniAus' study and an external door. I made an executive decision that I would move on to there.

Mr GeniAus Painted the new digs while I was at Rootstech

I am loving my new accommodation although it's taking me a while to move and sort my gear. I have set Easter, when the family visits, as the time I will be done. Paddy the pup who used to sit in a bookself in the last Geneacave has happily found a nice spot at my feet under the desk.

My problem is that the term Geneacave. just does not fit. I am wondering what I should call my light and airy new digs.

Moving in

Moving in

What is your Where? A Geneacave or a Geneacorner or a Research Zone???

I may call my new room the Chapel because Genealogy is my religion!

Late Posting

Steve Rockwood, Familysearch CEO 

I have a very good excuse for delaying my post this month. I was totally immersed in the madness that is Rootstech, the greatest family history show on earth. Rather than skipping the post I am playing catchup and writing it now I am back in Australia. I will backdate so it appears in its correct spot in our blog archive. 

Why do I travel for hours across the Pacific to attend this event?

I previously wrote that I wanted to be Challenged, Educated, Entertained, Informed and Inspired. Rootstech with its broad program can deliver on all of these needs.

• I like to renew old friendships and meet online pals in the flesh, a solitary life in the geneacave can be lonely sometimes. 
• As an Official Ambassador for the event I like to attend in person and be a voice for Australia. I like to be on hand to help newbie Australians negotiate Salt Lake City and Rootstech. 
• I enjoy the opportunities given to Ambassadors to interview celebrities and attendees. I love being able to ask my own questions. 
• I was honoured to have a presentation proposal accepted and I was not going to miss out on sharing my thoughts with the attendees. I think I was the only Australian on the program and I like to see our nation represented. 
• I appreciate the opportunity to have research time at The Family History Library. 

Some Rootstech Ambassadors

When I arrived home my husband asked "Did you learn anything?" I said "not a lot if you are talking of learning as acquiring skills". I said that I had been educated and enriched by the experience.

Did Rootstech Deliver?
I was challenged, as I listened to others' opinions in my presentation where I moderated a panel discussion "Ethical Dilemmas in an Online World".

Panelists from Four Nations

I didn't really find any of the presentations I attended,with the exception of Josh Taylor's, particularly challenging, Perhaps there needs to be more discussion of issues on the Rootstech program.

I was educated about DNA in the several sessions I attended on that topic. Outside of the formal program I learnt a lot about the Mormon faith through Ambassador visits to the new Provo Temple and The Church History Library. I did acquire some skills in an excellent presentation on Audacity given by Andrew Lee. I didn't go to many "How to"sessions as I like to learn by myself through trial and error.

With Sharn White (Australia) and Audrey Collins (UK)

I was entertained in several of the keynote sessions. There was the humour of AJ Jacobs, the passion of David Isay and the determination of Paula Williams Madison. There were many opportunities to be entertained at the formal and informal social events the occur around the time of Rootstech. I seemed to have a different party, reception and/or dinner every evening for nine days.

I didn't have to go to any sessions to be informed. A walk around the Expo Hall with over 300 exhibitors provided many opportunities to hear about products and services both old and new. I try to avoid formal sessions that are infomercials by company representatives. I prefer to visit the booths and ask my own questions.

I was inspired by Steve Rockwood, David Isay and Paula Williams Madison (Google them). Much inspiration came from hanging out with my genimates, ordinary people like you and me who have a passion for discovering their ancestors and their stories. Their enthusiasm is contagious and will carry me through until I return to Rootstech in 2017.

The icing on the cake for me is meeting up with people I have known online for several years. This year I finally met Tony Proctor from Ireland, True Lewis from the US, Jana Last from California and Geoff Mulholland (an Aussie) from Germany.

With Geoff Mulholland

With True Lewis 

Resting Places

I am predating this post to the day it should have been published.  On 2 December I was in Male in the Maldives, a port on a cruise that took Mr GeniAus and me from Dubai to Cape Town.

As Tapophiliacs Mr GeniAus and I like taking photos of cemeteries. Unfortunately on our tours we don't usually stop at cemeteries so we try to take snaps from our buses as they traversed the highways. We were lucky in Male, where we did a walking tour, that we were able to take more reasonable photos of the Historic Islamic Cemetery.

Where there's a Will....

...there's a way to get to the Truth.

A new found elderly cousin related the story of  her Grandmother's will last week, she was rather bitter that her mother and siblings were only left a pittance while one brother and a man who had befriended the old lady got the bulk of the estate.

State Records NSW (our State Archives) is situated in Kingswood which is 50 kilometres to the west of Sydney CBD. While it is good that there is plenty of parking (once you get there) and lots of room for expansion but getting to the archives is a pain. It just so happened that I was going to have lunch in our Blue Mountains last Wednesday, a trip that took me along the Motorway past Kingswood.

State Records is out amongst the gum trees on the edge of Sydney

State Records NSW do a great job and, with the help of an army of volunteers, they have a number of Online Indexes to their holdings available.

State Records Online Indexes.

Remembering that they have indexed many Probate Files so I did a search for the Grandmother's file and was lucky to find that it was available. While I was at it I also found a Land Title file for the Grandmother's property. One can pay to have the files copied and sent but at $AU30 each I could think of other ways to spend my geneabudget.

The Reading Room at State Records

As I have a Reader's Ticket for State Records NSW I was able to order the files to be ready in the Reading Room when I visited. After spending time with my friends over lunch I set off for Kingswood arriving about 3:15pm. As the files were waiting for me I was able to get straight to work. It only took me around 45 minutes to read and digest their contents and to photograph the contents on both my camera and mobile phone (Back ups are important especially when Kingswood is so far away).

The File contained affadavits, receipts, a copy of the will, details of properties owned and an inventory of household goods and personal effects.

So what did the Probate Packet reveal? The one brother and the man who had befriended the old lady got a few extra bits and pieces like a piano and some furniture  and some of the grandchildren got odds and ends but the bulk of the estate was divided equally in five shares between the four living children of the grandmother with the fifth share going to the children of her fifth (deceased) child.

Since the Grandmother died in 1944 the story of her bequests to family members has become slightly twisted. The lesson here is that while elderly relatives can be great sources of information it is wise to check the facts via other available sources.

Part of the Inventory in the Probate Packet.

Going Wayback

In a recent post on my GenAus blog I lamented that I had not kept files of all the websites I had developed over my 20 years on the World Wide Web. Quick as a flash one of my readers, Kylie Willison, reminded me of The Wayback Machine from The Internet Archive. Why didn't I think of that?

Wikipedia describes the Wayback machine thus "The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web and other information on the Internet created by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit organization, based in San Francisco, California. It was set up by Brewster Kahle and Bruce Gilliat, and is maintained with content from Alexa Internet. The service enables users to see archived versions of web pages across time, which the archive calls a "three dimensional index.".

So taking on Kylie's suggestion I tried to fins some of my old sites in the Archive but didn't have much luck as the search requires a URL and I couldn't remember the exact URLs of my sites. I'll have to go through some old emails and files and see if I can find them.

What I did remember was the URL for my GeniAus blog. Entering that in the Wayback Machine I discovered that it had first been captured by The Wayback Machine in January 2011 and had been "Saved 53 times between January 27, 2011 and September 5, 2015".  I often play around wiht the design and layout of my blog but forget to take a screenshot before I make changes. I intend going through all of those 53 captures and creating a personal archive of my blog changes. My blog is also captured by The Pandora Archive from The National Library of Australia so it should be accessible via one of these platforms for a long time to come.

First capture of the GeniAus blog by The Wayback Machine.

I wondered about my family site and found that "http://www.geniaus.net  has been "Saved 72 times between July 20, 2009 and October 2, 2015". Ain't that grand.

Of course, when I started writing this post my mind turned to the Worldwide Genealogy Blog and I thought I'd see what I could find in The Wayback Machine. I discovered that it has been "Saved 13 times between February 9, 2014 and September 6, 2015.

Here is the very first screenshot.

First capture of Worldside Genealogy Blog to The Wayback Machine

The post from February 9th about using Evernote for family history was from Diane Hewson in Australia.

Have you checked The Wayback Machine to see if your sites or blogs are being archived?

National Family History Month

Each August in Australia and New Zealand we celebrate National Family History Month.

My Genimate, Shauna Hicks is the voluntary coordinator for this event (in Australia) which is an initiative of AFFHO. All around Australia family history societies and groups, libraries, commercial organisations and individuals host events that promote our hobby/passion. Shauna enters these all these onto an online calendar so that we can see what is on offer in our local area.

In addition Shauna has created challenges for both individual and family history groups: 31 Activities for Researchers and 31 Activities for Genealogy/Family History Societies during NFHM. These are useful exercises not just for Australians but for all family historians.

And what about me?  I am attending a few events during the month and I have organised two events for my local family history group.

In addition I am hosting a Geneagala series of Google Hangouts on Air on Sunday 30th August. Because the Geneagala is an online activity it is open to genealogists all around the world. As a Worldwide Genealogist you are invited to join me and your friends downunder for this event.

Ancestors in the Rookery

My time clock is a little out of kilter this month so please accept my apologies for this late and short post that once again focuses on Where. This week I have been researching my convict ancestors Elizabeth Phipps and James Westbrook who were transported to Australia two hundred odd years ago.

I had an address (the scene of their crime) for this pair, Angel and Porter Court, Golden Lane, London which I discovered was in the Parish of St Luke, Old Street. Although I found a contemporary map for the area I was not able to pinpoint the exact location of their domicile. The 19th century buildings in the area have long since disappeared; many were destroyed in The Blitz.

"The reputation of St Luke’s as a ‘rookery’ – a zone of criminality – reached a peak in the first half of the 19th century. ‘Flash houses’ – drinking dens and lodging houses where criminal plans were laid and stolen goods fenced – were more numerous here than anywhere else in London." (source:http://hidden-london.com/gazetteer/st-lukes/)

After a visit to The Society of Genealogists in London I was strolling back to the underground station when I saw some daggy apartment buildings that were signposted "The Golden Lane Estate". These "Council Flats" aren't too attractive but they are Heritage Liated! I wonder how they measure against the original rookery?

The Golden Lane Estate

Capital Capers

This short post comes to you from Canberra, Australia's capital.

When I was here for Congress last month I was sorry that I didn't have enough time to do some research in our National Library and National Archives. A wedding invitation for this weekend gave me such an opportunity.

We arrived a day early on Friday and went straight to The National Library of Australia where a pile of books I had pre-ordered from the stacks was waiting for me. Michelle Nichols, one of my genimates, asked me on Facebook "Did you find interesting things?"  I certainly did but I didn't break down any brick walls.

Inside the National Library of Australia

I had ordered in a variety of resources. I got a few old books on Father Therry, a pioneer priest in Australia and some histories of the Catholic Church. I have an interesting priestly relative, Michael Harrington Ryan, who is my great (x2) great-uncle. I was hoping to find some references to Father Ryan in those books but I drew a blank. On my last visit to the library I did find a few snippets and I will continue to seek out more books to fill out his stories.

Hitting the books at the NLA

A few printed cemetery registers were also on my list. These were for towns in Australia (mainly NSW) where ancestors had lived. I was able to confirm several dates and places of death for second and third cousins from these so that was a successful exercise.As I go through these resources I take a copy of pages that mention the Curry surname for my CurryAus surname study.  I will continue this exercise when next I have a chance to visit the library.

There have been many Pioneer Registers produced for towns in rural and regional Australia. For this visit I ordered in a few I hadn't consulted. While I didn't find anything new on my family I found a few new Curry references.

Waiting for me when the library opens this afternoon are three files of biographical clippings that will hopefully give me some new info on one of Mr GeniAus' living cousins, an ancestral town and an in-laws ancestor.  Also waiting is a CD of cemetery inscriptions that has a few of my Pusells listed.

All of the items I consult at the library are given little red hearts and relevant notes in my library account.

Tomorrow I'll be at The National Archives of Australia when it opens. Hopefully waiting there for me will be some immigrations files and some World War Two service records. Having consulted these I will go back to the library to chase up a few references in microfilmed newspapers.

Reading Room at The National Archives of Australia

The National Archives of Australia

Geneavlogging

Don't know what it is?

Please watch the video clip below.

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A Glorious GeneaYear

Over on my GeniAus blog at the end of each Geneayear I have asked my Genimates to reflect on their Geneactivities over the past year and respond to the Accentuate the Positive Geneameme. 

I usually post a compilation of links to the responses at the GeniAus blog but this year I will do something different. I am posting them here because the responses so far have come from all corners of the globe, they demonstrate that ours is truly a Worldwide Community. 

In a world where there is so much doom and gloom and in which people bellyache about not realising unreachable goals it is uplifting to read of the Geneatriumphs of our geneablogging friends. An added bonus for me is that I always get a response or two from geneabloggers who are new to me and so, with these new additions, my RSS feed becomes more bloated but my geneaworld expands.

It is not too late to add your post to this list of links so, if you have the time, please join in this activity and notify me of your post.

Here are the responses to date:

Pam Carter from the US: http://mymaineancestry.blogspot.com/2015/01/2014-accentuate-positive.html

Pauleen Cass from the Northern Territory: https://cassmob.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/accentuate-the-positive-2014/

Shelley from ACT: http://twigsofyore.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/2014-quality-over-quantity.html

Alex Daw from Queensland: http://familytreefrog.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/accentuate-positive-geneameme-2014.html

Sue Donaldson from Scotland: http://scotsue-familyhistoryfun.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/accentuate-positive-geneameme-2014.html

Dara from Ireland: http://blackravengenealogy.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/2014-in-review-accentuate-positive.html

Fran Ellsworth: http://branchingoutthroughtheyears.blogspot.com/2015/01/response-to-geniaus-accentuate-positive.html

Janet Few from England:  http://thehistoryinterpreter.wordpress.com/2015/01/02/accentuate-the-positive-geneameme-2014/ 

Jo Ann Fitzgerald from Australia: http://ofmyfleshandblood.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/accentuate-positive-geneameme.html

GeniAus from Sydney: http://geniaus.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/time-for-reflection-accentuate-positive.html

Kirsty Gray from England: http://family-wise.co.uk/atp-2015/
Kirsty Gray - Part 2: http://family-wise.co.uk/atp-part2/

Victoria Green from Victoria: ; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">http://campaspegenealogy.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/accentuate-positive-geneameme-2014.html

Rebel Hand from England : http://rebelhand.wordpress.com/2014/12/31/accentuate-the-positive-2014-2/

Shauna Hicks from Queensland: http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/accentuate-the-positive-geneameme-2014/

Iwikiwi from England: http://blog.iwikiwi.com/2015/01/my-genealogy-year-2014-accentuate-the-positive/

Tessa Keough from the US: http://keoughcorner.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/accentuate-positive-2014-edition.html

Fran Kitto from Australia: http://travelgenee.com/accentuate-positive-2014-geneameme/

Elizabeth Lapointe from Canada: http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/accentuate-positive.html

NikiMarie from the US: http://mypeopleinhistory.wordpress.com/2014/12/31/2014-in-review/

Shannon Thomas from the US: http://shannonmthomas.blogspot.com/2015/01/accentuate-positive-2014-geneameme.html

Rootstech 2015 in 50 Words

The following can be found on Jill Ball’s blog at http://geniaus.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/where-geniaus-gets-chance-to-play-santa.html?m=1

Where GeniAus gets a chance to play Santa.

Rootstech 2015



One of the nice perks of being a Rootstech Ambassador is that I get to give some lucky person a nice Christmas present.



The kind folk at Rootstech have given me "One complimentary RootsTech 2015 3-day pass ($239 value) for one of your lucky subscribers." If you have already registered for Rootstech you can still enter this competition as I will supply a code to the winner and, if you have already registered, you will get a refund from Rootstech. If you haven't registered yet winning this competition might just change your mind about attending this premier event in Salt Lake City in February 2014.


This prize only covers your entry to the event, you will be responsible for all travel, accommodation and incidental expenses.


So what do you have to do to win this prize?


You need to tell me in 50 words or less using as much Geneajargon as you can from my Geneadictionaryhttp://geneadictionary.wordpress.com why you are or why you would like to attend Rootstech 2015. Of course you could use newly created geneajargon that can be added to the Geneadictionary. As a condition of entry you give permission for your entry to be posted in the Geneadictionary.

Jill has requested that entrants email their entries the closing date is today 12th December 2014. As it coincides with my day to post here I decided to add what would have been my entry as this month’s post.

The reason I do not have to enter can be found here.

I am going on a geneajaunt to Rootstech 2015 to get a genealogy overdose. I expect to wear blogger beads whilst meeting with other geneabloggers, doing some geneatweeting and joining a geneawebinar.

Then back across the pond to WDYTYA Live by which time I will need to join Ancestors Anonymous.

Considering a Trip Downunder?

Have I got a date for you!

Every three years family historians from Australia, New Zealand and a few of their international mates gather for The Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry. This year the 14th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry, Congress 2015 Canberra,  will be held in our nation's capital, Canberra. 

Whenever  I am travelling and someone expresses an interest in visiting Australia I suggest that they should visit Canberra, a place that is not on most organised tours downunder. Canberra is a beautiful planned city that houses most of Australia's national institutions, our new Parliament House is stunning, our War Memorial is exceptional and the central lake, trees and gardens provide a wonderful environment. March is a good time to visit Canberra when the weather is pleasant, not to cold, not too hot but just right.

Canberra is situated just three hours drive from Sydney and around seven hours from Melbourne.It has a new modern airport terminal and a range of accommodation options. 

Source: http://www.freeworldmaps.net/australia/australia-map-political.png

It just so happens that March 2015 has been set for the next Congress downunder. As well as having some super social events that include a reception at The Australian War Memorial and the Congress Dinner in Parliament House.

There is an impressive list of speakers from Australia and overseas. Those travelling downunder include Colleen Fitzpatrick, Simon Fowler, David Holman, Roger Kershaw, Paul Milner, David Rencher and Joshua Taylor. The beaut thing about a conference in Australia is that it is much smaller than most conferences overseas that attract thousands of delegates so the opportunities to meet and chat with the speakers are greater.

If you are into family history and Australia is on your travel bucket list then March 2015 should be a date you consider. It would be great to meet up with you at Congress.

I am honoured to have been invited to be an Official Blogger for the event.

Back to the W's

In one of my early contributions to this blog I indicated that I would be writing about the Ws in my initial posts. Well I strayed, I call that Tangential Genealogy. Back on the straight and narrow I am returning to another W word.

WHY?

Why do I spend hours hunting down dead people - at my keyboard, visiting cemeteries, libraries and archives?

• I want to know my ancestors which in turn enables me to know who I am.
• I want to preserve my stories and those of my ancestors for future generations.
• I love solving problems, coming up with hypotheses and trying to solve them.
• The thrill of the chase is energising.
• Solving a riddle or mystery brings on a feeling of euphoria, normally a sedentary soul I find myself doing impromptu genealogy happy dances.
• I enjoy research, after years working as a librarian I find that I can satisfy this need through genealogy. 
• As an only child I also like working in isolation, genealogy allows me to do this.
• I can indulge in lots of genealogy activities from the comfort of my home.
• Genealogy gives me a focus for some of my travel (although I don't need much encouragement to hop on a 'plane).
• Genealogy research allows me to connect with distant relatives and, when collaboration ensues, we build up richer pictures of our ancestors.
• I have always been a bowerbird who collects what others see as ephemera or even rubbish. I am a listmaker, I love to record dates and events. These traits align well with family history activities.
• Genealogy creates an avenue for me to connect with interesting and interested people all over the world.
• I like writing, genealogy provides me with fresh fodder for my stories.
• I love technology and social media, Genealogy provides me with a focus for this interest. 
• As a social genie geneablogging gives me an outlet to share my journeys with like-minded  people. I may even snare a few cousins along the way.
• Genealogy is an active pastime that gives the grey matter plenty of exercise.

Until I wrote this post I hadn't considered Why I do Genealogy for a long time, my reasons for 'doing' genealogy have expanded since I started out in 1988. I enjoyed the opportunity this actviity  created for me to reflect.

Why do you spend hours hunting down dead people 

International Collaboration

Last month I wrote of my intention to join the Familysearch Worldwide Indexing Event, this is a followup post. 

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” - Helen Keller. 

I am rather proud of the new badge (right) that my personal blog is wearing. Although I am pleased to have made a small contribution to the Familysearch Worldwide Indexing Event I am proud because the Worldwide event highlighted the benefits of collaboration in the genealogy and family history sphere. Just as our blog Worldwide Genealogy brings together genealogists from around the world whose individual contributions combine to produce this blog as a resource for the Worldwide genealogy community the Worldwide Indexing Event brought together genealogists from around the workd to index digital resources from Familysearch.

The Familysearch blog reports that 66,511 indexers collaborated in this event and "While the focus for this challenge was on the total number of participants, a tremendous amount of indexing and arbitration work was accomplished as well. Here are the results for the number of records indexed and arbitrated.

Indexed: 4,682,746

Arbitrated: 941,932

Total Records Processed: 5.7 million"

If you have ever trawled through pages of unindexed Familysearch digital images you will appreciate the value of having more than 5 million new records indexed.

What made this event even more special for me was another collaborative effort, a Google Hangout on Air - GeneaSleepOver: Worldwide Indexing Event,  spearheaded by DearMyrtle and her Cousin Russ Worthington. (I will add links to the four Youtube videos from this event to the bottom of this post.)

I listened to and chatted to the hosts Myrt and Russ and other panelists from the US and UK while I indexed my few batches, at one stage the camera was directed to my computer screen as I worked on indexing one of my batches. That was quite a challenge for a newbie indexer. Myrt had also asked me to join and talk aboout a topic of my choosing, I elected to chat about Australian Royalty - those people who have and are proud of their convict ancestry. 

I watched and listened to the Hangout for around 8 hours of the 24, I was on the panel at the beginning and rejoined for the end. I was thrilled to chat with fellow Worldwide Genealogy bloggers, young Australian genealogist and new indexing volunteer Caitlin Gow and Hilary Gadsby from Wales who has blogged about her indexing experience.

 In Australia we talk about the Tyranny of Distance, being able to participate in the Hangout while participating in the Worldwide Indexing Event broke down the barrier of isolation we sometimes feel in Australia. Thanks to Myrt and Russ for organising this event.

GeneaSleepOver: Worldwide Indexing Event - Video (a):



GeneaSleepOver: Worldwide Indexing Event - Video (b):


GeneaSleepOver: Worldwide Indexing Event - Video (c):



GeneaSleepOver: Worldwide Indexing Event - Video (d):

Payback

I don't know about you but I have found the Famlysearch website (and before that the IGI microfiche) most useful resources for my family history research. I have used theses resources provided freely and generously by The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (LDS) over many years. I have also made use of the Famlysearch Centres in both London and Salt Lake City.

When I was at Rootstech in 2012 there was a big drive by Familysearch (an initiative of the LDS) to find volunteers to index the 1940 US Census that was due to be released in April that year. I considered signing up to be an indexer but because my keyboarding skills are so woeful I did not  join.

Last week I tuned into DearMyrtle's Wacky Wednesday Hangout on Air to find that the topic was Familysearch Indexing. During the program Myrt demonstrated how to log in to Familysearch, sign up for indexing, download the indexing software, set it up, do some indexing and upload your work. It didn't look too difficult at all and there is lots of online support for indexers. After watching the demonstration I thought that I should have a go so I downloaded the software and joined up.

To date I have indexed  200 records in five batches of forty records each, although they have all been at Beginner Level some have been typed and easy to transcribe while others have been handwritten by people whose handwriting left a lot to be desired. I don't know that I'll ever progress to Intermediate Level! To ensure accuracy all  indexing is checked by an arbitrator, so far I have scored between 78% and 100% agreement from my arbitrated batches, I only made a couple of typos but I will try to be more careful. The lower percentages were from the batches of handwritten records I indexed. I am sure that as I get more used to reading tricky handwriting I will improve. I must also remember that quality is better than quantity, I will try to take my time.

With a large family that creates lots of ad hoc commitments I find it difficult to make a commitment to volunteering on a regular basis at a given place and time. Contributing to the Familysearch indexing project (as with doing text corrections for Trove) allows me to do some volunteering say thankyou in some small way to Familysearch for al the information they have given me over the years.

I am looking forward to July 20 and 21 when Familysearch is holding a Worldwide  Indexing Event for old and new indexers to break the record set in 2012 when 49,025 indexers  and arbitrators joined together to index records.

Will you be joining me at the Worldwide  Indexing Event?

Librarything for Genealogy

 I love Librarything the online social media tool that serves as my reading log, personal library catalogue, book recommendation tool and conduit to other booklovers with similar interests.

Although I use this tool for all things bookish I find that it is a wonderful tool for genealogy. As one enters books into the database one can tag them with descriptors. The tag "Genealogy" has been used 54,779 times  to date to describe works in the database.

The top ten books tagged genealogy are:

• Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian by Elizabeth Shown Mills (428 times)
• Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace by Elizabeth Shown Mills (273 times)
• The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy by Val D. Greenwood (269 times)
• The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy (Revised Edition) by Loretto Dennis Szucs (266 times)
• The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual by Board for Certification of Genealogists (251 times)
• Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians by Elizabeth Shown Mills(243 times)
• The Handybook for Genealogists : United States of America by George B. Everton (225 times)
• Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources, Third Revised Edition by Alice Eichholz (218 times)
• Unpuzzling Your Past: The Best-Selling Basic Guide to Genealogy by Emily Anne Croom (185 times)
• The Genealogist's Companion & Sourcebook by Emily Anne Croom (180 times)

The Librarything member who has used the genealogy tag the most is Robin from Westchester, PA. You can see her profile and list of books in her library here: http://www.librarything.com/profile/arjaygee


Librarything for Genealogists is the title of one of the talks I presented earlier in the year on the 4th Unlock the Past Cruise. I was pleased to have an opportunity to tell a few people about this product because it is one of my all time favourite sites and I was even more pleased when I had a sizeable audience who appeared to be most enthusiastic after the talk.


I don't use all of Librarything's social functions because I just don't have time but I do have a favourite.

Librarything Connection Page

On the Connections Tab of Librarything is "Interesting Libraries";  this is one element of Librarything that I love because I can follow what other people are adding to their personal collections if I add them to my list of "Interesting Libraries".  Most of the interesting libraries I follow are those of other genealogists and bookish friends. I like to see what they add, rate and review and to compare their libraries with mine. I could even check to see if they own a hard to find title and plead with them to do a lookup for me.

Among the "Interesting Libraries" I follow are those belonging to these genealogists (some of whom contribute to this blog). If you want to take a peek into their libraries here are some links for you.

alexdaw, AnglersRest, audreycollins, ausgenjourneys, BeckyJamison, caroleriley, cassmob, cdfhs, CMPointer, DebbieKennett, dougangene, drumcondra, johngasson, kingstongenealogy, KirstyF.Wilkinson, Leslie_Ann, Linda.Ottery, lmdhs, lovegenealogy, Merron, NSWGenealogy, perkinsy, ,pschultz, sheenatait, smbrennan. 

Librarything membership is free for your first 200 books added and a lifetime membership is $US25. 

Librarything is a fantastic tool to organise your personal library and record your reading. I suggest you give it a try.