Rootstech 2017

One of the major conferences for the Genealogy industry and associated family researchers worldwide: Rootstech – has just concluded in Salt Lake City, Utah and by all accounts it was another huge success.

The international conference featured four days of seminars, presentations, product promotion and a huge showcase hall and the opportunity for many attendees to visit the Family History Library.

Some sessions are now available on line for a short time, including presentations on DNA, Jewish Genealogy, Tracing female lines, next steps in British Research and more. Visit  Rootstech  for more information

Rootstech 2018 dates are already set for February 28 – March 3 2018

The next major genealogy conference will be Who Do You Think You Are Live in Birmingham, England in early April 2017.

Genealogy Congress

Ardent genies are gearing up for Congress next week. The 14th Australasian Congress on Genealogy & Heraldry  will be held in Canberra 27 – 30 March.  This major genealogy conference for Australia and New Zealand is only held every three years.  The hosts are the The Heraldry & Genealogy Society of Canberra (HAGSOC), under the auspices of AFFHO Australasian Federation of Family History Societies.

I will be attending and will be reporting back on my experience via this blog and Twitter.  I expect it to be a busy time.  I have had to choose to attend sessions from a wide variety of four concurrent sessions per time slot.  I have considered these according to speaker, topic and relevance.  I have also included sessions on topics absolutely new to me.  I am looking forward to visiting vendors in the Exhibitors hall, sharing and networking with colleagues and Congress delegates.  We are fortunate to have access to international authoritative speakers as well a chance to meet people representing the commercial businesses in the genealogy industry as well as the non- commercial organizations represented.

I attended the 13th Congress in Adelaide in 2012 when the theme of the conference was “Your Ancestors in their social context”.  I have a copy of the proceedings which I have been reviewing recently.  I was reminded of one of the highlights of that conference Colleen Fitzpatrick’s presentation “The unknown child of the Titanic”.

After attending RootsTech 2013 and Who Do You Think You Are Live 2013, I am probably more spoiled than most.  Family History Conferences are ideal opportunities to expand your knowledge on resources available for your research, as well as an opportunity to learn about new tools, search techniques and programs and meet like minded people.  Ultimately, I hope as before to come away inspired and looking forward to discovering what is new in this ever evolving world of genealogy.  

Planning a research trip

Who Do You Think You Are Live 2013

This time last year I was preparing for my study tour – first stop was Who Do You Think You Are Live, a major genealogy conference held in London each year. (Follow my blog posts about it here)  I have just returned from another (personal) trip overseas – hence the hiatus in blog posts.  I hope everyone has a successful year for their family history research, perhaps it will be the time to break down that elusive brick wall.

If you are planning a research trip overseas or indeed just a holiday, you may wish to consider timing it to include attending a conference or genealogy seminar day.  Shows such as this indeed inspire and invigorate our family history research with the opportunity to hear and meet with expert speakers and professionals in their field as well as explore the vendor hall which includes commercial companies as well as family history societies, booksellers and more.

To help plan your trip sites such as Conference Keeper (for genealogy) is a good resource to look at.

In addition, one day courses and seminars may fit into your schedule better.

The Society of Genealogists  in London publish their program of events twelve months ahead.  You can view and book these courses online. The Federation of Family History Societies in conjunction with GENUKI publish a calendar of events at GENEVA 

In preparation for your trip, further tips include

*Completing your Australian end of your research as much as possible, including date of arrival of pioneer ancestors.

* Completing online research as much as possible, using commercial websites, search engines and sites such as FamilySearch.  You need as much information as possible including full names, dates and specific places.

*Research the facilities that you wish to visit.  In the UK these may include The National Archives,  London Metropolitan Archives and the Society of Genealogists. Many of these organisations have partnered with commercial and non commercial organisations to place their records online which you can access in the comfort of your own home or library. These may include digitised images of original records including census documents.
*Locate local Archive facilities via ArchiveGrid and Archives in Scotland and the National Archives (UK) ARCHON Directory. (For Australian archives check out Directory of Archives in Australia)
*GENUKI is also a good resources for United Kingdom and Ireland. Information on local archives and libraries can also be accessed here.

*Visit the websites of these facilities, many offer advice for visiting and it is worth noting simple things like opening hours to make best use of your time.  You may consider that paying a full membership fee with all of its benefits may be better than paying a day’s research fee for example.

*Following these organisations on social media including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter will keep you up to date and assist in your planning.  You may wish to allow time to attend a free exhibition for example.

*For smaller organisations such as Family History Societies or Cemeteries it may be advisable to make contact well ahead of time, this may provide the opportunity for a staff member or volunteer to do some research on your behalf ahead of your visit.

*Do not overlook the local public library on your visit.  Public libraries provide access to unique local history collections that may not be readily accessible elsewhere.

*Have your key information available.  A small computer, ipad or smart phone will be of benefit on your travels.  Internet access via purchase of a local sim card or look for local wifi spots should also be considered.

DropBox is a ” free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily”

Ancestry now has an app which makes it easy to access your own online tree.  Other apps of possible use is the Research Logger which  keeps track of the research that you have done.

*Set yourself a goal.

*If you are lucky enough to be visiting relatives, ask to see all their related documents and photos and make copies.  Recording an oral history interview and taking photos is also a great idea.

*Don't forget your camera, for relative visits and photo taking in cemeteries and "now" photos of the places where your ancestor once lived. Make sure the battery is charged and carry a spare.  Some cameras now have the ability to record the GPS location with the photo.  It can also log the GPS data of where the camera has been. Make sure you have turned this on.

*Download your photos to a small computer and/or online sharing sites such as Facebook or Flickr. This serves as security in case you lose or damage your camera or photo card.

Genealogy tourism is trending as part of the future of the genealogy industry.  We are already seeing this in the growth of conferencing at sea with Australia’s Unlock thePast Cruises 

There are also opportunities for travel evolving around the Centenary of World War One. 

As a final note this blog post by Cataloguing in Gippsland on etiquette for visiting a collection is worth a read.

The Genies Down Under Podcast Edisode 29 February 2014 will feature as its main topic "Ancestor homeland stuff: how to plan a visit of a lifetime" which may be of interest.

In the meantime I am look forward to “attending” some conferences vicariously in coming weeks - the WDYTYA Live  event February 22- 24 online via twitter and blog posts and Rootstech 

the major genealogy and technology conference held in Salt Lake City Feb 6-8.

Best wishes with your genealogy research in 2014.

Upcoming conference for genealogists

The Victorian GUM Inc. turns 25 in 2009 and will hold a "25th Anniversary Conference" to celebrate this milestone. The conference will be held in the town of Cowes on picturesque Phillip Island and will be held over the weekend of 24-26 July 2009 to coincide with the first meeting of VicGUM® 25 years ago on 24 July 1984.
Details including registration details can be found here.

GUM are a group with a particular focus of using a computer with your family history. If you are considering buying a computer and have an interest in local and family history, or wish to enhance your knowledge of using computers for your local and family history - this conference is for you.