Let's Go to Expo! Part 10!

We are really getting close to THE date, so I'd best get moving on my series of speaker intros for the Mesa, Az FH Expo! We've got a U.S. representative for Genline, AB. which offers access to Swedish records, some higher-ups who provide family history training to priesthood leaders, the founder of Heritage Quest!!!, and an instructor for the National Institute for Genealogical Studies! And more to follow those!

Kathy Meade volunteers at the Swedish American Museum in Chicago. She has a degree in history and she'll be presenting the following:

1/22 @ 10:00 a.m.    Beginning Swedish Genealogy

1/22 @ 11:30 a.m.    Doing Swedish Research in a Computer World

We have a Duo in our midst: Lance McIntosh and Brent Summerhays!  Both work at FamilySearch and both are active in training Family History Consultants. They will be providing such training in Mesa at the following times:

1/23 @ 1:00 Session One;  2:30 Session Two, and 4:00 Session Three.

Does Leland Meitzler need an introduction? Like so many other speakers, I don't think so. But he is the founder of Heritage Quest and he did serve as  the Managing Editor of both Heritage Quest Magazine and Everton's Genealogical Helper.  Are you ready for this entertaining instructor's speaking schedule?

1/22 @ 10:00  Organizing, Preserving, Accessing, and Sharing Your Genealogy Using Digital Documents and Pictures

1/22 @ 11:30  Using State and Territorial Censuses and Substitutes to Locate Your Family

1/23 @ 9:30    The Lay of the Land: Using Directories, Maps and Gazetteers

1/23 @ 11:00  Flames Over the Courthouse

 I'm intending to attend several of his presentations and I honestly can't wait!

Lisa Alzo is a genealogy instructor for GenClass and the National Institute of Genealogical Studies. She's authored 9 books. And she is also presenting at the Mesa Expo and I'm going to be attending at least one of her presentations!

1/23 @  2:30  Best Web Sites for East European Research

1/23 @ 4:00  Finding Your Elusive East European Ancestors

 If I could do this as a podcast, I would, because if I did, you'd know exactly who is up next!

Lisa Louise Cook, of The Genealogy Gems, is back for more fun in the sun (well, it's slated to rain, but it'll be fun anyway).  I am so excited to have her back, I can hardly type.  Her speaking schedule, at one point, anyway, interferes with my own presentation and I hope there's at least a small audience left for me!

1/22 @ 10:00  Google: A Goldmine of Genealogy Gems I
1/22 @ 11:30  Google: A Goldmine of Genealogy Gems II
1/23 @ 1:00    Solving Family Tree Mysteries with Google Earth

Mark Tucker Thinks Genealogy so much he named his blog after the activity!  He's a software architect and family history enthusiast all rolled up into one! His presentations are:

1/22 @ 11:00 Navigating Research with the Genealogical Proof Standard
1/23 @  8:00  The Twittering Genealogist

If you prefer to learn more than your ancestors' names and dates and wish to learn about them as people who at some level influenced your life, then Marlo Schuldt has the presentation for you!  Marlo is the President of LifeStory Productions, Inc. which produces software to assist in writing family histories! He is the one to talk to about learning how to gather information. You can hear him speak about his software:

1/23 @ 11:00 a.m. Heritage Collector Software Demonstration

Another expert at the Family History Writing process is Michael Booth, the Vice-President for Development at RootsMagic and the creator of Personal  Historian. Come see what he has to say on the subject:

1/22 @ 4:30  Mapping Your Family History with Family Atlas
1/23 @ 2:30  Personal Historian: Bringing Life to Your Life Stories

What better place for a lecture on Mexican, Central and South American research than Mesa, Arizona? And what better person to present on topics of interest in this area than Patsy Huber?  Patsy is a native Guatemalen, and she also is the resident expert at the Mesa Family History Center.  I'm so excited to announce her speaking schedule:

1/23 @ 9:30  Helping Mexican, and Central and South American Researchers in Your FHC or Ward

1/23 @ 11:00 How to Do Mexican Research and Be Successful at It

The Guide to Ancestral Research in London is a book I would be very interested in, and the author is just the one to tell me all about it.  Phillip Dunn, AG is speaking at the Mesa Expo as well!  Just so happens he has much to teach about Scottish, Welsh and Irish research too!

1/22 @ 1:30  Finding Your English/Welsh Ancestors

1/22 @ 3:00  Finding your Scottish Ancestors – What Do You Need to Do?

1/22 @ 4:30  Finding Your Irish Ancestors – Are There Really Any Records?

We also have the Senior VP of Product at Footnote.com coming to Mesa!  WOOHOO!  He once worked at The Generations Network, too so we are getting our money's worth and more! So who is this man?

It's Roger Bell!

1/22 @ 4:30  Everything You Wanted to Know About Footnote.com

1/23 @ 2:30  How Best to Search and Browse Footnote.com Content

Sue Clark is an experience speaker and an experienced author and an experienced genealogist.  She is also presenting on an issue near and dear to our ancestors' lives and to current generations' lives, as well: Immigration:

1/22 @ 1:30  Ellis Island and the Immigrant Experience

Just-a-lookat-a-dat-face!  Dat is the face of Suzanne Russo Adams, AG who just happens to have expertise in Italian research!  She is the Society Partnership Manager at Ancestry.com and will speak with us about the following:

1/23 @ 9:30  Simplifying Online Research with Ancestry.com Family Tree

1/23 @ 11:00 Immigration and Emigration Records Online

Timothy Cross is responsible. Yes, you heard me right. He is the one responsible for it all.  At least for it all regarding the Family Tree portion of the  new FamilySearch!  He will tell us all about it:

1/22 @ 11:30 new.familysearch.org: What’s New and Upcoming. He will repeat this presentation on 1/23 @ 11:00!

Now loook at the next face very carefully. It is the face of someone who is incredibly helpful, tech-savvy, and so energetic it makes me dizzy.

Thomas MacEntee (muh-KENT-ee, I believe it's pronounced; I'm sure he'll correct me if I'm wrong).  What better presenter to wrap up my series with?  Thomas is the technology and social networking guru of Geneabloggers and just wait until you see his speaking schedule!

1/22 @ 1:30 Twitter – It’s Not Just “What I Had for Breakfast” Anymore

1/23 @ 8:00 Become a Genealogy Blog User

Now I've been blogging about genealogy for almost 5 years now, and I still can't wait to hear what Thomas has to say!

Let's Go to Expo! Part 9.

What better way to celebrate two years of this blog than by posting another installment of Let's Go to Expo?  WOOOHOOO! Here's what's coming up on January 22 & 23 in Mesa, Arizona!

This installment has some great names from great people, from the President of Incline Software to an author of some 11 genealogy training programs to the owner of Generation Maps to a guitar playing national speaker! Let's get going.

The President of Incline Software is Gaylon Findlay, who will speak at:

8:00 on 1/23: Ancestral Quest 12.1 - The Natural Upgrade for PAF and at

3:00 on 1/22: Synchronize PAF 5 or AQ Data with New FamilySearch Using Ancestral Quest, the Program from Which PAF 5 was Derived

The expert on training videos for Genealogy is Geoffrey Rasmussen, the creator of the Legacy Family Tree program!

Geoffrey will grace our eyes and ears with the following presentations:

1/22 @ 1:30:  Organizing, Planning, Mapping, Charting and Sharing Using Legacy Family Tree

1:23 @ 8:00:  Market Your Ancestors Using Message Boards, Mailing Lists, Blogs, and Social Networking Sites

1/23 @  1:00:  Legacy Family Tree: Tips & Tricks

1/23 @  4:00:  Timelines and Chronologies: Secrets of Genealogical Success

Who else could follow Geoffrey but The Chart Chick?  Janet Hovorka, along with her husband, own and operate Generation Maps, and if you've never seen one of her charts then you have GOT to come to this Expo (well, you should be coming anyway).   Janet will speak twice at this year's Mesa FH Expo:

1/22 at 3:00:  Basic Research Practices in the Age of New FamilySearch

1/23 at 2:30:  Certified Genealogy Software that Makes New FamilySearch Family Tree Easier

Can you imagine a better genealogy speaker than an expert in folklore? I can't!  Jean  Wilcox Hibben is a board-certified genealogist, President of the Corona Genealogical Society, and the Southern California chapter of APG! And MESA gets to hear her speak:

1/22 @ 1:30:  Federal Census Records: Brick Wall Battering Rams, Part I

1/22 @ 3:00:  Federal Census Records: Brick Wall Battering Rams, Part II

1/23 @ 1:00:  To Zion in Song: The Westward Migration of the Mormons

Jim Greene is a FamilySearch Product Manager.  He's a guru on technology and its uses in genealogy, having also worked for IBM and Novell.  He will be presenting the following:

1/22 @ 10:00 a.m.:  FamilySearch 2010 and Beyond

1/23 @ 8:00 a.m.:   FamilySearch’s Research Wiki, Forums, and Blogs: Useful Tools to Connect and Collaborate with Others

Ever hear of John Vilburn? If you haven't, you probably have heard of his company: Ohana Software. He also developed PAF Insight and Family Insight. And if you still haven't heard of him, you will by the time this Expo is over. He is presenting:

1/22 @ 11:30 a.m.:  FamilyInsight: The Rest of the Story

I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

Let's Go to Expo! Part 8

I wish I could bring my dog to the Family History Expo in Mesa, Az January 22-23.  He'd probably learn so much from Dolores A. (Dee) Semon.  See, Dolores has 34 years experience in German and Polish research, including Pommerania! Yes, you got it: My dog is part Pomeranian! Then again, she also is experienced in research in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and my great-grandfather Edward HODICK may well have been born in Bohemia! Dolores speaks 8 languages and published a book in Weurttemburg.  As if that wasn't enough, she is the Public Relations secretary, E-News Editor, and Research Chair for Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies (FEEFHS).  WOW! Her speaking schedule is as follows:

1/22 @ 3:00  Beginning Polish Research
1/22 @ 4:30  I Stil Can't Find My Place Name

Who is a native of Georgia, is a cultural historian, and is a principal investigator for DNA Consultants in Phoenix? And who has co-authored "When Scotland Was Jewish: DNA Evidence, Archaelogy, and Public Records"?  And who has a new book on the horizon entitled "Star, Crescent and Cross: Jews and Muslims in Colonial America"? 

Why, it's Donald Yates, of course!  I'm amazed at the speaker tally at this year's expo!  Donald will be presenting the following:

1/22 @ 10:00  Ancestral Tracing With an Autosomal DNA Test: Conceptions and Misconceptions.

Duff Wilson has 15 years of software design with Ancestry.com and holds the title of Senior Product Manager for Family Tree Maker. He's skilled at creating programs for the novice and the expert alike.  He is a graduate of Utah State University and we are lucky to have him in Mesa this year:

1/22 @ 1:30 p.m.  Getting the Most out of Family Tree Maker

Happy 101

Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski of In My Life is apparently enjoying my Let's Go To Expo posts enough to present me with the honor of the Happy 101 Award.  My task is to identify 10 things that make me happy and award 10 others this award.

What makes me happy:

1.  Knowing that I was raised in the perfect family in the perfect neighborhood in the perfect house.  Perfect is in the eye of the beholder, and some days the perfection of my happy childhood, flaws and all, hits me like a welcomed brick.  Today was one of those days.

2.  My dog, Izzie. And the memories of the dogs that had come before him: Mandy and Skipper.

3. Cousin Connections.  Call me sensitive or call me sentimental. There is something extra special about re-connecting with cousins long lost.  And the exhilerating feel of connecting with a cousin never known is indescribeable. Every time I find a cousin, or one finds me, I am overcome with wonderment about what our common ancestor must be thinking now!

4.  Friends.  You know, the people you can yell at, cuss at, laugh with, cry with, and just hang out with and know that the bond between you will never be broken.

5.  My career.  I usually love being a social worker. It allows me to use my creativity to further the lives of others. And in the process, of my own life.

6.  My car. Okay, this is rather materialistic, but I don't care. I love my car. (Knocking on wood as I type this, as I firmly believe that every time you say something good about a car it hears you and it breaks down).

7.  Tucson winters.  Most of the year I miss the lush green grass of my home in Western New York. And I miss WATER.  Big, blue, bodies of water that were not created by man (or woman). But this past week , with high temps in the low 70's, proves that you just can't beat Tucson winters.

8.  Professional Football.  I'm going to be a bit melancholy in a few weekends' time....

9.  The Internet. It allows me to have fun and make those cousin connections that in turn help me make more spiritual connections with ancestors long gone.

10.  Mayonaisse and lettuce sandwiches.  Okay, I know it sounds awful, and you're wondering why my parents would ever have allowed me to eat such things, but every once in a while I just have to have two pieces of white bread with mayonnaise (not miracle whip) and leaves of iceberg lettuce on them.  Goes back to the happy childhood thing again. Comfort food, if you will.

Now the 10 blogs I pass it on to: 

1. Conversations wth Ancestors Past
2. I Dream of Genea(logy)
3. Passing it On
4. Twig Talk
5. Apple's Tree
6. Destination Austin Family
7. DearMyrtle
8. footnoteMaven
9. ThinkGenealogy
10.GeneaMusings

Let's Go to Expo! Part 7

A couple of days and one post closer to the 2010 Family History Expo in Mesa, Az on January 22 & 23! Let's get the show on the road!

David Dilts is accredited for genealogical research for the areas of LDS Research and German Research. He's a Senior Reference Consultant in U.S. Reference at the Family History Library.  Attendees  have 4 opportunities to hear hhim speak:

1/22 @ 4:30  Evaluating Genealogical Evidence

1/23 @ 1:00  Revolutionary War Research

1/23 @ 2:30  Civil War Research

1/23 @ 4:00  World War I and World War II: U.S. Military Records

I'm not even sure how to introduce the next presenter.  Oh, wait, yes I do!  Having met her in person at last  year's conference, I can tell you she is as kind in real life as she is on the Internet.

DearMYRTLE, Ol' MYRT, Pat Richley, it all adds up to knowledge.  Her books include Dear MYRTLE's Joy of Genealogy (2006),  and The Everything Online Genealogy Book (2000). Her blogs include DearMYRTLE's Genalogy Blog and Teach Genealogy  At the FH Expo in Mesa, she will present on a topic near and dear to her heart (and especially to ours.  You can attend her presentations at the following times:

1/22 @ 11:30 FINALLY Get Organized!
1/23 @ 9:30  Getting from an Index to the Original Document

I was kind of hoping she'd present on Second Life, since I just haven't been able to grasp it.  Perhaps I can corner her for a tutorial...

Let's Go to Expo! Part 6

So just what is FamilySearch doing to prevent the loss of genealogical records across the globe? Just how are they digitalizing all those documents and articles and records?  How are they goiong to make it easier, quicker, and cheaper to access these records?  And why are you looking to me to provide the answers to these quesions?

You should be looking to Bryce Roper at the 2010 Family History Expo in Mesa, Az!  He is going to tell us all about RecordSearch and FamilySearch and their efforts to bring the past into the twenty-first century! You can hear his answers at the following times:

1/22 @ 1:30  Powerful Tips and Tricks for FamilySearch Record Search Coming

1/23 @ 9:30  Armchair Research: Easy Access to the World's Records.

And just why is Bryce going to be the one to answer those questions?  Because Bryce is the Product Manager for FamilySearch, that's why! He's held many positions in the technology/marketing field and he knows his products!

The next presenter, if you read this blog with any regularity, is someone you should know whether you're going to be at the Mesa FH Expo or not: I'ts ME! 

I am not a professional  genealogist, nor am I teacher of genealogy (yet).  I don't even have any degrees in history, Family Studies, or Sociology (but I come close on the last two!).  My educational and professional backgrounds are in Social Work.  I have worked in several areas of Social Work, from schools to behavioral health and now, medical.  One thing that has come in handy in all my postions AND in my genealogy research is the use of Genograms.  If you attend my presentation, you will gain an understanding of what a Genogram is and how it can help you gain a better understanding of your ancestors. And of yourself!

1/23  @ 1:00  When the Past Meets the Present to Change the Future: Using Genograms in Genealogical Research.

Genealogical Research methods have changed dramatically over the past few years; it's even different today than it was last year.  Curtis Tirrell will spend some time at the Family History Expo in Mesa telling us not what we need to know about the past, but what we need to know about the future:

1/22 @ 10:00  AppTime

Let's Go to Expo! Part 5

When I was a junior in high school, I took a class called Advanced Health.  This class was one in which the students...16 max...had to apply and be accepted to take. Each student was responsible for creating, planning and carrying out a lesson plan.  One student in my class chose the topic "Death and Dying".  One of our "guest" speakers was the teacher, Ms. Dorothy Arenz.  Ms. Arenz told us tales of her adventures walking through cemeteries as she traveled.  One of the activities in this lesson was a visit to a local cemetery.  It was a rather peaceful field trip, truth be known.

I might just be ripe for another lecture on cemeteries, and I will get my chance on Saturday, January 23, 2010 at the Mesa Family History Expo! 

Betsy Frith Gotsponer, MLS, is a professional librarian in Yuma, Az.  She is also a genealogy teacher at Arizona Western College.  She will present the following:

1/23 @ 4:00  Cemeteries I Have Walked. 

I hope that  you will be able to attend this lecture and gain some new knowledge on the value of cemetery research.

Billy Dubois Edgington holds a B.A. degree in History. She's contributed to "Genealogical Helper", co-authored a book entitled "Vital Information from the Guion Miller Roll" and authored a book entitled "African-Cherokee Connections".  She has over 40 years experience in genealogy research and will strut her stuff at the January Expo:

1/23 @ 4:00  Wagon Trains and Indian Fights. 

When she talks about family members who'd disappeared into the West, she could be referring to ME! I'm going to have a tough time deciding which presentation to attend, Betsy's or Billy's!

Bruce Buzbee probably needs no introduction, but in case he does, here it is!  Bruce is the founder and president of RootsMagic, Inc., a premier genealogy software company.  He authored my database program, RootsMagic 4 and Family Reunion Organizer. You can also add original creator of Family Origins.  He is the webmaster of Family-Reunion.com. He is presenting the following:

1/22 @ 3:00  What's New in RootsMagic4

1/23 @ 9:30  The New FamilySearch Made Easy with RootsMagic4