An Offer You Can Refuse (But I Hope You Don't)

Are you going to the 2011 FGS conference? I'm going to make you an offer you can refuse, but I hope you don't.

I was going to make this offer earlier, but instead I went out to lunch with my husband. When I came back, I saw that Sheri Fenley, The Educated Genealogist, had written a great post about being a conference first-timer. It fits well with my offer so go read it first, then come back here. But promise to come back because Blogger doesn't have a feature where I can make a link open in another window.
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Ok, are you done reading Sheri's post? Wasn't that great?

Here's my offer. It's the same offer I've made for several conferences, yet no one ever takes me up on it.

If you're going to the FGS conference and don't know a soul, email me and we'll meet up. We can share a meal or hang out at a special event. Either way, you will know somebody at the conference.

I know it seems weird to contact a stranger, but trust me on this. Genealogists go from small talk to friendly conversation in 3 seconds. We'll have a great time.

Take down the email address at the top right of this page and contact me. It's connected to my phone, so I'll get your message even in Springfield. If you're at the Prairie Social all by your lonesome, just holler and I'll round up some friendly genealogist buddies right then and there.

It's not as socially awkward as it seems. I promise. You just have to reach out.

2011 Texas State Genealogical Society Conference

The 2011 Texas State Genealogical Society Conference will be held November 4-5 in Houston.

Paula Stuart Warren, CG is the featured speaker.

There is a full slate of events November 4-5 at the Houston Marriott South at Hobby Airport. There is also a pre-conference event sponsored by Clayton Library Friends on November 3.

All the information you need for these events can be found at the TSGS conference page.

If you're planning on attending, don't forget to carve out some time to visit the Clayton Genealogy Library.

Also, the International Quilt Festival will be in town November 2-6. This event usually draws 50,000 attendees.   Even if you aren't a quilter, the exhibits are worth the price of admission.

I think FamilyTree DNA is having an administrator conference at the same time.

It's going to be a busy first weekend of November in Houston!
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Baby's First Genealogy Society Meeting

Today I had the pleasure of going to the Chaparral Genealogical Society meeting in Tomball, Texas. As a matter of circumstance, my son came with me and experienced his first society meeting.

Caroline Pointer of the Family Stories blog (and more) was there. She got to see the 1) I really do have a kid and these aren't stock photos on my blog and 2) he does like to talk about trains.

I don't know if my son liked the meeting, but I'm glad he came with me. We stopped in Old Town Tomball on the way home and took a few train crossing photos. It was so hot that we didn't stay long. I promised that we would come back and hunt trains when it is cooler. 

In Appreciation of Rejection

Kerry Scott over at Clue Wagon featured Chris Witten as a guest blogger this week. If you don't recognize the name, just know he is Big Chief WikiTree. He took some time to discuss the concepts of "free" genealogy collaboration tools and a single family tree.

You can read Chris' words on Kerry's blog here:

Can You Trust a Private Company Offering a Shared Family Tree?

In Which We Debate The Value of Great Big Trees Online

Huge thanks to Kerry for asking real questions and for Chris to take the time to answer them honestly.

After reading these pieces myself, a funny thing happened. I learned that Chris really wants to build a big tree and doesn't want customers who don't want to be in the big tree.

He doesn't want me.

And I like him even more for that.

Why? Because he is straightforward and honest. He's not wasting my time, and I'm not going to waste his. I mean that very sincerely with a great deal of respect for the person who knows his vision for his company.

I've said before that I'm not into the Big Tree. Maybe down the road, but not in the immediate future. My priorities are focused on sharing my ancestors with my immediate family in a private environment. While I technically could do that at WikiTree, it goes against their mission so I won't do it.

I really do think WikiTree is a great product, and I appreciate their profile privacy control levels. Witten recently spent a lot of time discussing his company with the genealogy masses, and I trust that there won't be any surprise announcements about profile access and control. Though I may or may not use it, I will offer it up to my genealogy buds as a collaboration option for those in the one-tree camp.

And I will continue to wear my WikiTree shirt in all its orange glory, especially at Houston Dynamo games where it will fit right in with the crowd.

2011 FGS Conference Syllabus Available Online

Good news! The 2011 FGS Conference syllabus is now available online! Those already registered for the conference can gain access here.

Why would you want to see the syllabus online? For one, seeing what the speakers plan on talking about can help you determine your session schedule. You can also print out session portions of the syllabus and bring those with you to the conference. This is a great way to combine your notes with the class handouts for a better learning experience.

[Disclosure: I am an Official Blogger for the 2011 FGS Conference. This means that they paid for my registration and a few small perks, but not all the fun I plan to have. --A]

25 Great Topics for Genealogy Society Blogs

Genealogical and historical societies are the backbone of the pursuit of family history. Their dedicated volunteers preserve the local history of our ancestors and provide the programs and events we need to expand our genealogy horizons.

In The Big Genealogy Blog Book, which will be released soonish, I included a section of 25 writing topics that are geared toward genealogy society blogs.

As a big thank you to genealogy societies everywhere for their tireless dedication, I made the genealogy blog section of the book into a stand-alone document that is available as a PDF download right now.

And it's free.

25 Great Topics for Genealogy Society Blogs

So go get it. Share it with your genealogy societies and spread the word on your blogs, in your newsletters and through the social media.

If you're thinking about starting a blog for your genealogical society, just do it. Both Blogger and Wordpress have tutorials on setting up blogs and getting started. The hardest part of starting a blog is coming up with a name. If you use your society as your name, the biggest hurdle is done.

Thanks again genealogy society volunteers for all you do. I hope these topics are beneficial and help to get your group more exposure. If you use these blog prompts, leave a comment below so others can read your blog, too.

RootsTech Bound

Several months ago, my Australian friend Jill who writes the Geniaus blog told me about a proposal she wanted to submit for consideration for the 2012 RootsTech conference. She wanted to gather an international panel of genealogists to talk about social media and asked if I would be a part of it.

I eagerly said yes and waited for word on whether or not the proposal was accepted.

Yesterday I learned that Jill's idea will indeed be a part of the 2012 RootsTech conference. I will be on a panel made of international genealogists including Jill (Australia), Audrey Collins (UK), and Joan Miller (Canada).

Yay!

This will be fun...four genealogists from four countries talking about social media and family history from four perspectives.

Thank you, Jill, for this great idea and inviting me to be a part of it.

See you in Salt Lake City.

FGS2011 GenSpiration Sessions: A Meeting of the Minds

The FGS conference in Springfield is almost here! Have you looked at the schedule? What sessions look good to you?

Several of the other FGS 2011 Official Bloggers have published their planned session schedules on their own blogs. I can't do that for you because I never plan until I get to the conference. Sometimes I don't plan until breakfast of the conference day.

Some of the events that intrigued me about this FGS conference are the GenSpiration Sessions. Traditional genealogy classes are great, but there's something special about the spontaneous meeting of the minds when people come together.

I hope attendees join in the spirit and offer up for discussion some of the subjects about which they are passionate. I'm considering proposal of a couple discussion topics of my own. I'd like to pick people's brains about genealogy business marketing. I also like talking about blogging issues such as affiliates, copyright, templates, problems, solutions, ideas, etc. There are a lot of "how to" blog sessions out there, but little discussion on the "what next" when your blog is going strong.

Should I jump in to the GenSpriation pool? I'll let you know once I get there and look at the schedule. I might be the only person at my potential GenSpiration sessions but that's ok. I'm just happy the dedicated people at FGS are offering this type of learning opportunity.

[Update: Official FGS Blogger Caroline Pointer told me that she's in for these GenSpiration sessions, so come hang out with us and talk shop! Look for details about GenSpiration sessions at the conference.]

Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

Six days after Geni.com made the decision that Geni Pro Just Got a Whole Lot Better--which created a mass backlash, exodus, and managed to get a comment from me--CEO Noah Tutak finally released his own statement: A Message From Geni's CEO.

The first sentence in the third paragraph pretty much sums it up for me. 

"Geni's goal is to create a single, accurate family tree of the world."

As I have said, this is not my goal. Had it been clearly stated when I first joined, I never would have joined. Privacy and control are my priorities.

Geni's focus isn't user needs, it's that one tree. Tutak has made that very clear with today's blog post. I only wish he had done it much sooner and not wasted my time or caused the company's image to sour.

Good luck with your big tree Geni, and work on those communication skills.

The Best Laid Plans

Petey says hi.

About that book of mine....here's the intended plan and the current situation:

Back in December, I had a visit with my friend The Family Curator and she encouraged me to write an e-book. So I did. I call it The Big Genealogy Blog Book. It has 200+ topics for genealogy bloggers and more. Lots more.

The original plan was to finish it in the spring and release it mid-summer with the intent of blabbing all about it when I went to the FGS conference this September. As a perk, I was also going to release a cool "freebie" (via Lulu.com) to everyone as a way to drum up some chatter about said book.

Then just as I was ready to flip the switch, Google said they were changing the name of Blogger, and to look for the new developments in the coming weeks. Since my book is about genealogy blogs, I use the word Blogger and its subsequent URL several times. 

Now you can see my dilemma. If I released the book now, it would be current only as long as Google referred to their blog platform as Blogger --a matter of weeks. I'd rather wait for Blogger to become "Google Blogs" or whatever and include the new URL in the book. 

So basically my book is delayed and I have no reason to blab all about it at FGS.

I am still going to publish the freebie within the next few days though. Stay tuned...

Where Keggers and Social Genealogy Intersect

I went to college in southern California in the early 1990's when Pearl Jam Plaid was the accepted flannel shirt pattern and No Doubt was still a local OC band.

The parties at my college went something like this: people showed up at a house (usually rented by a gaggle of college students), there was bad music, then more people showed up, then someone would start fighting, then the cops would show up and everyone would disperse. Lather, rinse, repeat every weekend.

I never liked those big parties, instead preferring the smaller get-togethers with better music and people I actually knew. Still each week I caved to my friends' pleas and promises that *this* party was *the* party. It never was and I always ended up bored and tired. But you know what? I never complained because it was my own dang fault for going to a party in Pomona.

Lately social media has left me feeling the same way. Facebook keeps surprising users with its changes meant to force everyone to share more of their lives. LinkedIn recently did the same, opting everyone in to their new social advertising campaign then facing backlash for doing so. But you know what? I never complained because it was my own dang fault for going to a party in Pomona accepting their terms of service.

Earlier this week, Geni.com announced that Geni Pro Just Got a Whole Lot Better, which in turn angered the users of their free service. In the interest of full disclosure, I received a Geni Pro account from the kind folks at Geni.com. However, I run my account differently than most users. I have no interest in sharing my family, merging profiles or any of that. I created a private space for my family to learn about their ancestors and that's how I want to use Geni.

Reaction from the Geni-sphere was harsh. Just read the comments on the original Geni blog post. Bloggers like Tamura Jones, Randy Seaver, DearMYRTLE, Elizabeth O'Neal and GeneaBloggers also weighed in with their own observations and opinions. My own take is this: I like using social media tools for genealogy, but I am also a private person who wants control over access and online profiles of my ancestors. I've never been a fan of surprises and gravitate toward people, places and things that can give me that assurance, genealogically speaking.

Geni.com's 58+ million profile World Family Tree is a lot like one of my old college parties. There's just too many people and I don't want to be there. I was cool with my small group in the corner, but now I'm being pushed to mingle with people I don't even know. Geni's latest changes are like the right hook that starts the fight that sends everyone scrambling. Suddenly, it's Kegger 101 all over again and I have to step aside from the carnage and decide how to get back to where I want to be.

I'm not uspet about Geni's new plan. They have a product vision and its theirs to initiate. After all, it's my own dang fault for going to a party in Pomona accepting their terms of service.

I've no intention of deleting my Geni account, but I also hesitate to add anything to it right now because my own needs and wishes differ from the path on which the product is heading. It's not a bad path, just one that heads left when I want to turn right. Perhaps that will change in the future, so I will wait and see. No dramatic exit for me.

Many, many people are jumping the Geni ship and going to WikiTree. I have an account there, but I've never developed it. Should I? Or will I be surprised by new developments down the road there, too? Just like I grew tired of the big, lame college parties, I've grown tired of the social media surprises that take away some semblance of privacy and control of my information.

I hesitated commenting on this issue at all, simply because I wasn't outraged enough to garner the necessary emotion for an effective blog post. However, I am a genealogy consumer that places the highest value on social media AND privacy AND control and I figure that vote should be counted somewhere.

Meanwhile, RootsMagic and I are having a small offline shindig this weekend. I know we'll have fun because the entertainment is always solid--no surprises--and I can choose with whom I share my ancestors. That's my idea of a genealogy party.

[Update: Geni CEO statement and my comments.]
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Federation of Genealogical Societies Debuts New Mobile App

Offers Easy Access to FGS Services Including Radio, Blog and Webinars


August 15, 2011 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces the debut of its free mobile application for the iPhone®, iPod Touch® and iPad®. With the new FGS App, FGS resources and services such as FGS Radio, Voice – the FGS blog and webinars are now available to a wider audience.

The FGS App is the perfect place to stay current with all the events and offerings at FGS. Whether you want to read news at the Voice, listen to the FGS Radio show or learn new tips and tricks from the FGS Webinars, the FGS App allows you to do all of that in one program. You can also get the latest news on the FGS 2011 conference coming up September 7-10, 2011 in Springfield, Illinois as well as the Preserve the Pensions project to digitize millions of War of 1812 pension files.

In terms of social media, the FGS App enables users to interact with each other through comments, posts and sharing content via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. The new app also includes Society Hall, a directory of all the FGS Members and their locations.

According to D. Joshua Taylor, FGS Vice-President for Administration and nationally-known genealogy expert, “In an age where technology plays such an important role in family history, the FGS App serves as a tool for genealogists and FGS member societies, leading the way for genealogical organizations to harness mobile technologies to promote themselves within this digital climate. This is an exciting beginning of many innovations yet to come."

To access the new FGS App, visit the Apple Store at http://store.apple.com/us or use http://itunes.apple.com/app/federation-genealogical-societies/id455585034?mt=8# to download the FGS App.

Technical and Developer Information

·       The FGS App has been developed by A.C. Ivory of Find My Ancestor specifically to meet the needs of FGS members and the genealogy community.

·       The FGS App is compatible with the iPhone® (3GS and later models), iPod Touch®, and iPad® and requires iOS 4.0 or later.

·       The FGS App may not work with older 3G iPhone® models – this is a decision on the part of Apple as they get ready to roll out the new iPhone® 5 later this year.

·       FGS plans to make the FGS App available to Android and Windows Mobile users in the near future.

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference -- four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org.

Fun with Search Terms

It's time for another round of "Fun with Search Terms!" People type certain words or phrases into search engines. If the combination is right, my blog turns up in the search results. Sometimes the searches are funny. Sometimes I can provide more information to users, if only they'd comment on my blog. Either way, I enjoy the process. Please note that these searches are anonymous so I don't know who is stumbling on my blog. I just comment in the hope that they find it again.

Now on with the show. Actual search phrases are in bold.


kelly rodgers cemetery cameron parish

In January of 2009, I made a trip to Cameron Parish, Louisiana. On the way home, I stopped and took some pictures at the Kelly Rodgers cemetery. I blogged about it and put the photos on Find a Grave. The cemetery is just a patch of land. It's not very big and the graves are pretty compact, Louisiana-style.


become an arbitrator on family search
After someone volunteers for FamilySearch Indexing, the next step is FamilySearch Arbitration. The arbitrators oversee the work done by the indexers and make decisions when the indexers information differs from each other. I started as a volunteer indexer and did that for several months (at least 6). One day I got a notice from FamilySearch with an invitation to be an arbitrator. I watched some videos and read instructions and the rest is history. If you want to be an arbitrator, keep faithfully doing the indexing work until your time comes.


+search blob
This blog has been described many ways, but "search blob" is a first.

who do I need to contact regarding St. Joseph cemetery Rayne, La
There are two St. Joseph cemeteries in Rayne. The first and oldest is right next to St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church. St. Joseph #2--as it is called--is on the edge of town. I do not know who handles both cemeteries, but the Church may have the answer for you. I would call them.

amy coffin book reviews
All book reviews I feature on this blog are tagged "book reviews" and can be found by clicking the label that says that on the right.

complete family tree in minutes
Oh this I gotta see...

What happened to the Shiloh cemetery in Russellville, Ark?
As far as I know, the original Shiloh-Williamson cemetery was down by Lake Dardanelle. It was moved (in the 1950's or 60's? Don't quote me on this) to its present location in order to make way for said Lake. This makes me sad because so many of my Williamson ancestors were affected. When I visit the current cemetery it just feels like I'm looking at markers and the *real* final resting place is still down by that lake. If you need more information, call the Russellville branch of the Pope County Library and ask to speak to the genealogy department. They'll be able to help.

is jay verkler evil?
I don't think so, but if the President and CEO of FamilySearch International is truly evil, he certainly hides it very well.

Coming Events at Houston's Clayton Genealogy Library

There are several great events coming up at the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research.

Here's the lowdown:

August 13: Clayton Library Friends meeting in the Carriage House meeting room on the Clayton Library grounds. Registration is at 10:15am and the meeting begins at 10:30am. The featured speaker is Steven Sloan, Director of the Institute for Oral History at Baylor University. His topic is the Library of Congress Oral History Project, Interviewing your Family for Posterity.

August 20: Clayton Library Orientation, 10:30am - 11:30am. Learn about the vast resources and how to efficiently utilize genealogical research materials housed at the Clayton Library Center. No reservations needed. Meet at the information desk.

August 27: Clayton Library Friends all-day seminar featuring Arlene Eakle. I've seen Arlene speak and she is a walking encyclopedia of genealogy information. She knows every early family in Virginia and that is no joke. Registration form.

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5 YouTube Videos for Beginning Genealogy

Genealogy can be a confusing and scary place if you don't know where to start. The possibilities, people, and places are overwhelming.

Fortunately, there is a lot of wonderful information out there for the beginning genealogist.

Here are five videos that emphasize research, organization, information gathering and analysis.


FamilySearch: Getting Started, Step 1 - Finding Easy Information



Elyse Doerflinger: How to Organize Your Genealogy, Part 1



Elyse Doerflinger: How to Organize Your Genealogy, Part 2



Angela Walton-Raji: Plan Your Research Strategy



GenealogyGems: Analysis of Ancestor's Handwriting



All of these video creators have numerous instructional genealogy videos at their YouTube channels. For further genealogy education, check out all of their works. They are extremely helpful.
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Caribbean Genealogy Library

My blog gets a lot of visits from people looking for Bahamian genealogy resources. This is because of the posts I've written about my vacations in the Bahamas and visits to their cemeteries.

Today, I stumbled upon the online presence for the Caribbean Genealogy Library website and Facebook page and thought some readers might be interested in learning more.

Hopefully some blog visitors will benefit from this information. Let me know what you find there.

Edit: Reader Teresa Wilson Rogers of the Rogers Family History blog shares with us another great resource for this area of the world: The Bahamas Historical Society. Thanks Teresa!

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 8

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 1

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 2

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 3

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 4

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 5

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 6

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 7

Over five nights and six days, my family drove 1000+ miles through Texas and Oklahoma. It was hot. It was dry. It was brown. But it was also a chance to visit the places my ancestors once lived and walk where they once walked.

It was nice to take a break from the online genealogy world. Now I am back, but with a slightly different perspective. I will continue on the same path, but this trip reminded me of why I started this journey in the first place.

Thanks to everyone who read all eight installments of this road trip series. I hope you enjoyed it. Should you ever find yourself in the general area around north Texas or south central Oklahoma, be sure get some fried pie.
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Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 7

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 1
Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 2
Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 3
Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 4
Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 5
Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 6

On this Oklahoma road trip, we saved all of our cemetery stuff for Sunday because many of the other things we wanted to do were closed on that day.

The first thing we did was drive out to Highland Cemetery in Lawton. My great-great grandparents and some others are buried there.

This is Mary Elizabeth Lenertz. She is the aunt of my grandfather. I'm pretty sure she is the "Aunt Beth" he often spoke of. However, there is another Beth in the tree so I may never know.

This is her husband, Irven Ernest Coffey. He has some patents in his name.

I found my great-great grandparents in the next section over. I don't know who bought their stone, or why it doesn't have dates on it. This family tree is very small, so it's just a few people who could have bought the marker.

This entire area was experiencing an exceptional drought. It was so dry. Therefore, all you see in my photos is dead grass.

Next, we went back to Duncan and visited the Duncan Municipal Cemetery. We went to the Jones-Williamson plot and visited all the ancestors there.

Here are my parents. It was about 106 degrees when this photo was taken. My dad is holding paper towels we used to clean off my great-great-great grandmother's stone. Time had covered it in dirt.

I went looking for the grave of my third-great grandmother Nancy Bourland Colbert, but I didn't find it. The excessive heat prevented me from looking any further. However, I did find the headstone of my third-great aunt, Kate (Williamson) Wharton and her husband.

I'm pretty sure this John T. Wharton guy was the one who convinced my great-grandfather to practice medicine in Duncan, Oklahoma and leave his Russellville, Arkansas home.

On this day, we also visited the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan. My great-great grandfather Frank Wiley Jones was a trail rider for years, so I wanted to see what life was like for him during that time. The center was very interactive with exhibits, art, artifacts and movies.

All in all, it was a good day.

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 8

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 6

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 1

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 2

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 3

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 4

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 5

During our Oklahoma road trip, we visited the Chickasaw National Capitol Building in Tishomingo.

Behind the purple-flowered bushes are a set of memorial bricks that people can purchase in tribute to others. My dad had a set made for the ancestors in our Chickasaw line. They sit at the base of the building and welcome all who visit:

My grandmother

My great-grandmother

My great-great grandmother

My third-great grandfather

My fourth-great grandfather

My fifth-great grandfather

My sixth-great grandmother

My sixth-great grandfather

It was 105 degrees on the day we visited the Chickasaw National Capitol Building. The trip was nice, but equally as nice was the Dairy Queen just 2 blocks down the road. It was an ideal end to our day.

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 7