Keeping Vital Records Open and Accessible

Records Access and Preservation Committee
http://www.fgs.org/RPAC

Access to Vital Records is Under Attack! How Can You Help?

Thursday, 8 May 2014, 4:00 p.m. B15B, first floor GRCC

Vital records are being threatened at both the state and federal level. Learn about the 2011 Revision of the Model State Vital Statistics Act which if passed in your state will close access to birth records for 125 years and death records for 75 years. Also hear about how the 2013 Bipartisan Budget Act signed at the end of 2013 has limited access to the Social Security Death Index for three years after someone’s death. Find out how the genealogical community has responded at both the state and federal level to these initiatives and how you can help.

At the Opening Session, NGS President, Jordan Jones, announced the Genealogists’ Declaration of Rights which advocates open access to federal, state, and local public records. Stop by the RPAC booth #105 and sign the Declaration of Rights.

What is RPAC?

The genealogical community works together through The Records Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC), a joint committee which includes The National Genealogical Society (NGS), the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) as voting members. The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen), and the American Society of Genealogists (ASG) also serve as participating members. RPAC also includes participation from a few of the commercial providers of genealogical information including FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, and ProQuest. RPAC meets monthly or more often if required by current events, to advise the genealogical community on ensuring proper access to vital records, and on supporting strong records preservation policies and practices.

Keeping Vital Records Open and Accessible

Finders Keepers: Retrieving One Document in a Million, Instantly!

Thursday, 8 May 2014, 8:00 a.m., T204

ResearchTies, Booth 505

Still struggling to record your genealogical research and organize your documents? Does it feel like you have tried every method and still can’t locate your research results without frustration? ResearchTiesTM is an innovative, new online research log that streamlines data entry and uses a multi-variable search engine to locate research results instantly!

ResearchTies allows users to record objectives and details of planned searches, as well as full citations and links to the research results. Repositories, source bibliographies, names and places are added to the database only once, making them available to select with just a click the next time they are needed. You can even index your old family photos. Stop wasting time with duplicate data entry and slow or complicated retrieval of your research. Visit http://researchties.com for more information.

Jill N. Crandell, MA, AG® will present, “Finders Keepers: Retrieving One Document in a Million, Instantly” at the National Genealogical Conference in Richmond, Virginia on Thursday, May 8, at 8:00 am (T204). Get up and get moving early that morning and learn how to save time and frustration. With the ability to open all documents related to a person in a matter of seconds, ResearchTies also facilitates analysis and correlation of your data. Learn how to improve your genealogical research with a quality research log—one that works for YOU. Drop by vendor booth #505 to ask questions or try out the program. See you in Richmond!

BCG Track

Blacksheep Ancestors and Their Records 

Ann Staley, CG, CGL

Friday, 9 May 2014, 4:00 p.m., F351

Let's just admit it - we all have them! So, let's use the records they have created to our benefit - and what wonderful records they left. And your blacksheep ancestor does not have to be a murderer, thief or kidnapper. What about your political expatriate? Your mayhem maker? The spouse who married 5 times and their other spouses are still living? Or the ancestor who just walked to the beat of a different drummer?

 Starting with assembling and analyzing all of the data you have on your "blacksheep" ancestor we will follow through with resources for trying to prove the story: Court Records including Order Books and "insane" records; other types of census records; convicts and prison records; newspapers; NUCMC and PERSI; and much more.

Ann Staley, CG, CGL, http://cannstaley.com/ is an instructor, consultant, trip leader and a lecturer at local, state and national conferences. She  is the Education Chairman for the Jacksonville Genealogical Society, Inc.; the Secretary of the Genealogical Speakers Guild; on the faculty of The National Institute for Genealogical Studies; and an associate of the Board for Certification of Genealogists since 2000.

She and her business partner, Margo Fariss Brewer, pamper their AnnMarTrips' clients on their Salt Lake City genealogy research trips, making each trip a unique research experience. http://ann-martrips.com

BCG Track

Online Resources Track

Lori Thornton, MLS

Online Appalachian Genealogical Research

Wednesday, 7 May 2014, 2:30 p.m., W150

While the presentation focuses primarily on the middle and Southern portions of Appalachia, a few resources from northern Appalachia are included. Some of the resources covered include online digitization projects of universities and of other repositories, online maps, online records (primarily those offering images), online books, and online journals and newspapers.

New resources appear frequently. While not every resource can be covered in the time slot, representative sources shown in the context of their usage will be presented. Attendees will be provided with a link providing a more exhaustive listing of sources.

Lori Thornton is a librarian at a liberal arts university in Tennessee and a professional genealogist, specializing in Southern States and in religious records. She speaks to librarians, societies, and other groups about genealogical topics.

Online Resources Track

New York Genealogical and Biographical Track

Looking for Your New York Tenant Farmers: Little-used Resources

Jane E. Wilcox

Thursday, 8 May 2014, 9:30 a.m., T217

Sponsored by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society

Did you know much of New York landholding during the seventeenth through the early nineteenth centuries was manorial or patentee, with a few landlords holding vast tracts of land on which numerous tenants farmed smaller parcels? If you have these tenant farmers as ancestors, you may be frustrated trying to find them in the more widely-known New York resources such as church, surrogates and land records. There is good news: records from the major manors have survived which may help you in your search.

In this session we will briefly touch on the history of manors and the major events that took place for tenants (including two anti-rent wars in which even a sheriff was shot and killed!) and then explore what typical tenant leases contained from Philipsburgh Manor, Cortlandt Manor, Philipse Highland Patent, Beekman Patent, Livingston Manor and Rensselaerswyck—going up the east side of the Hudson River from Westchester to Putnam to Dutchess to Columbia to Rensselaer counties and over to Albany County.   We will see what records were generated because of the lease-holding land system, including rent ledgers, surveys, receipts, court records (in particular, ejectment proceedings), taxes (yes, they also had to pay taxes on the property) and more. Finally we’ll take a look at where these records—mostly original documents and some in Dutch—are located.

Van Rensselaer Manor Records, New York State Library
Manuscripts and Special Collections, Albany, N.Y.

Jane E. Wilcox specializes in colonial British New York and early nineteenth century New York research.

New York Genealogical and Biographical Track

National Archives Track and Blogger

Angela Packer McGhie

Track Books: Master Index to Federal Land Records

Friday, 9 May 2014, 9:30 a.m., F318

Angela Packer McGhie is excited to attend the NGS conference as both a speaker and an official NGS blogger. She writes the blog "Adventures in Genealogy Education" at http://www.genealogyeducation.blogspot.com where she features all kinds of educational opportunities in genealogy including conferences, institutes, study groups, courses, webinars, books and articles. Her posts include announcements about upcoming events, recommendations for studying specific genealogy topics, as well as reviews of genealogy institute courses by guest bloggers.

In addition to blogging, Angela's genealogy education activities include coordinating the Intermediate Genealogy and Historical Studies course at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University; coordinating the Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum course at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy; and coordinating the ProGen Study Groups studying Professional Genealogy.

Angela will be blogging from the NGS conference as an attendee and as a speaker, as she will present "Tract Books: Master Index to Federal Land Records" on Friday, May 9th at 9:30am. 

She will also share some of the things she learns at the NGS conference on Twitter using the conference hashtag #ngs2014gen

You can find Angela online at:

http://www.genealogyeducation.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/angela.mcghie

Twitter @apmcghie

National Archives Track and Blogger

African American Track

Bernice Alexander Bennett

United States Colored Troops Civil War Widows' Pension Applications: Tell the Story

Saturday, 10 May 2014, 8:00 a.m., S407

Join family historian and genealogist Bernice Alexander Bennett for an engaging presentation on the United States Colored Troops Civil War Widows’ Pension Applications: Tell the Story

Bennett will explore the challenges faced by widows and/or former slave descendants of soldiers applying for a Widow’s Pension. Through case files, Bennett will show how the widows and/or family members provided evidence to support their applications and described life during and after slavery.

Bernice A. Bennett is the host of her own Blogtalkradio show - Research at the National Archives and Beyond at http://www.blogtalkradio.com and a family historian researching and documenting her African American roots in the Orleans, St. Helena and Livingston Parishes of Louisiana, and Edgefield and Greenwood Counties of South Carolina. Bennett has presented her research on an array of topics at the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society; South Carolina Genealogy Society Summer Workshop; National Genealogy Society, International Black Genealogy Summit, Old Edgefield District Genealogy Society Showcase, the Midwest African American Institute of St. Louis, and the Washington DC and Baltimore Family History Centers.

Bennett also serves as a citizen's a
rchivist at the National Archives in Washington DC where she is preparing Civil War Widows Pension Records for digitization. She holds membership in several national and local genealogical societies and the National Institute of Genealogical Research Alumni Association

Bennett is one of 5 authors (The Memory Keepers) of a new collaborative book Our Ancestors-Our Stories.

African American Track

Using Technology Track

Cheri J. Daniels, MSLS

The Memory Ninja: Using Pinterest to Engage Your Family in Memory Collection

Thursday, 8 May 2014, 2:30 p.m., T249

When attempting to recall important family memories or details for a more complete family narrative, we need all the help we can get. To trigger complex memory retrieval, and to help gather memories from various members of my family, I use a visual social media tool called Pinterest.

On Thursday, I’ll be speaking about this wonderful social media tool that engages family members through visual stimulation. Pinterst is so much more than recipes, travel destinations, or craft ideas. By creating boards in honor of individual ancestors, family members can “pin” fun images that represent stories, events, or places associated with the ancestor. Since Pinterest is used by most as a leisure tool or activity, the visually stimulating images creep into memory banks and elicit emotional response, all in the guise of fun. This stealth method of memory collection was the basis for my session title: The Memory Ninja.

Using Pinterest in this manner with my family, helped foster collaboration and provided a place to share our unique memories. It also helped paint a much fuller portrait of the ancestor, and sometimes aided in photo identification. As a seasoned family historian wanting to pull together all of the missing memory pieces, I love fun tools that help us reach those family members who are not necessarily interested in history, but are very interested in family!

Cheri Daniels, MSLS: Senior librarian/reference specialist at The Kentucky Historical Society, co-editor of Kentucky Ancestors Online at http://wwwkentuckyancestors.org, president/co-founder of http://www.Pastology.com, and author of JourneysPast blog at http://www.journeyspast.blogspot.com.

Using Technology Track

African American Track

Cara F. Griggs, MSLIS

African American Research at the Library of Virginia: Genealogy to 1870

Saturday, 10 May 2014, 2:30 p.m., S447 

We will explore resources that are available at the Library of Virginia that can provide information on enslaved and free African Americans in Virginia prior to 1870.

Things to Know

Why 1870?  The 1870 federal census is the first to (in theory) include the names of all Virginians.  Previously, those who were enslaved were enumerated but not named.

Why only Virginia?  As the state library and archive, the Library of Virginia focuses on Virginia history and culture.  The laws concerning free and enslaved African Americans in southern states were often similar, but each state was a little bit different.

It would be helpful if you have researched individuals back to 1870 and have some familiarity with the Library of Virginia, but if you are just beginning, not to worry!  I will provide an introduction to the Library of Virginia’s resources, which include state and local government records; personal papers; business, organization, and church records; and published resources.

About Me

I have been a reference archivist at the Library of Virginia since 2006; previously, I was a research associate at The Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.  I earned a BA in history from the University of Richmond, an MA in the social sciences from the University of Chicago and an MSLIS with an archival studies concentration from Drexel University.  I am also certified by the Academy of Certified Archivists.

African American Track

Records, Germans, and Spreading the News

Michael D. Lacopo, DMV

I am excited to bring you three very new lectures to this year’s NGS Conference in Richmond!

"She Bore Her Suffering with Christian Fortitute." Using Religious Newspapers and Periodicals

Wednesday, 7 May 2014, 4:00 p.m., W154

I am also a tremendous fan of digging into resources where few have ventured before, especially when those resources contain information of enormous value to the genealogist. We will discuss one of these incredible collections in “She Bore Her Suffering With Christian Fortitude”: Using Religious Newspapers and Periodicals.

How to Overcome Brick Wall Problems in Pennsylvania German Research

Thursday, 8 May 2014, 2:30 p.m., T248

For anyone that has heard me lecture in the past, do not let my Italian surname fool you – I do love my Germans! And sometimes the most frustrating subset of this ethnic group is the Pennsylvania Germans. Although the New Land beckoned to many German-speaking immigrants, often they settled into subsistence farming with few resources and left few records. I hope to show you some tricks and lesser-used resources that may hold the clues in “How to Overcome Brick Wall Problems in Pennsylvania German Research.” And your ancestors don’t necessarily have to be German to pick up some tips on Pennsylvania resources!

Incorporating Social History into Your Research

Friday, 9 May 2014, 9:30 a.m., F316

Lastly, but most importantly, as genealogists we should be able to tell the stories of our ancestors. Don’t be a BMD Genealogist – Born-Married-Died! Make your ancestors come to life! To do that, you have to understand who they were, and we will delve into that in “Incorporating Social History Into Your Research.”

I am looking forward to sharing my passion with you in beautiful Richmond, Virginia!

Records, Germans, and Spreading the News

Technology and Family History

Tools to Help You Share Family History

Saturday, 10 May 2014, 9:30 a.m., S420

Sponsored by Treelines.com

Website: http://www.treelines.com

On Saturday morning, Tammy Hepps, the creator of the family storytelling website Treelines.com and winner of RootsTech 2013’s Developer Challenge, will speak about “Tools to Help You Share Family Stories.”  With more than twenty years of experience in genealogy and fourteen working in web technology in New York City, she is uniquely suited to bring her insight on today’s best story-related websites and apps to an audience sharing her genealogical bent. 

Her talk will begin with an assessment of what good family storytelling entails, narrowing in on the qualities engagingfamily stories possess.  Through the remainder of her talk, she’ll introduce tools that will help you to share audio-, video-, and text-based stories and assess each on the basis of its ability to create real engagement with your relatives and friends.  In her choice of tools, she has taken special care to include relevant tools less well-known to a genealogy audience, as well as to highlight the unique features of better-known tools. 

Recognizing that many genealogists may be reluctant to store their data in one more place in one more format, she’ll conclude by offering advice about how to incorporate these tools and their hi-tech output into an overall strategy of organizing one’s digital genealogy work.  Useful advice for anyone wanting to dabble in the latest-and-greatest technology!

Family iPads

           

 Tammy has shared her genealogy, technology, and storytelling expertise at most of the big U.S. genealogy conferences and many smaller society meetings and is especially excited to be speaking at NGS for the first time!

Technology and Family History

BCG Skillbuilding Track

Testing Family Lore: She Married A Distant Cousin in Virginia

Saturday, 10 May 2014, 8:00 a.m., S401

J. H. "Jay" Fonkert, CG

She dressed herself and stood in the style blocks, and he rode upon a fine horse and she mounted behind him, he put the spurs to his horse and he ran down the road. He wheeled the horse around and cried out "now shoot" but no one took any notice of them. The rode away and were married a real Lochinvar.1

Could you have a much better family story? If you are like me, you are a bit jealous of friends and colleagues who have entertaining, amusing, or even shocking stories to tell about their ancestors.

Genealogists are historians in pursuit of what really happened. Family stories, like DNA, can mutate as they are passed down through generations.

• Details regarding timing, place or other facts may shift.
• Identities may become confused.
• The story may be enhanced to make it more exciting, or
• Important details may be lost or even purposely left out.

In my Saturday morning lecture in the BCG Skillbuilding track, I will share an account about how a broad search across time and geography can determine if the right people were in the right place, at the right time, for a family story to hold up. We will discover that one of John C. Fawkner's four wives was Elizabeth Nuttall, consistent with family lore, while debunking an Internet genealogy.

Celebrate and enjoy your family stories, but use them as a starting point for discovering what really happened in your ancestor's life.

 1. Martha English Green, “The History of Elijah Nuttall,” 20 May 1898, Louisville, Ky., photocopy received from Lindsay Nuttall , Bloomington, Ind., 7 February 2011

BCG Skillbuilding Track

Military Track

Virginia's "Forgotten" Revolutionary War Records: Treasures in the Library of Virginia

Bevin Creel

Friday, 9 May 2014, 9:30 a.m., F315

Sponsored by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution
http://www.dar.org

My interest in Virginia’s Revolutionary War records began after I became a Genealogist for the DAR in 2005. I was surprised to discover that, in spite of Virginia’s massive contribution to the success of the Revolution, the breadth of its records related to the war remained to be fully understood, much less “available” to the researcher. My presentation is a modest attempt to highlight this dilemma and to offer some strategies for the exploration of lesser known Revolutionary War records in the Library of Virginia.

Many researchers are familiar with LVA’s major collections related to the war, such as records specifically related to bounty land, or perhaps the county court booklets related to public claims. Information regarding such records is readily available elsewhere and attendees will not hear much about them from me. My attendees may expect to hear about muster rolls, accounts, militia lists and other records related to soldiers buried within the LVA collection, particularly in Record Group 48, Auditor of Public Accounts. They may also expect to hear about non-military records related to organizations that played a crucial support role in the Revolutionary effort, such as the Point of Fork Arsenal, the Public Rope Walk, the Lead Mines, etc.

My presentation will include records related not only to present-day Virginia, but also to present-day Kentucky and Illinois, which where part of Virginia during the war. Whether your interest is in Illinois, Kentucky or Virginia, surprises should be in store!  

Military Track

BCG Skillbuilding Track

When the Trail Turns Cold: New Strategies for Old Problems 

Thursday, 8 May 2014, 8:00 a.m., T201 

Diane Florence Gravel

Do you have mysterious ancestors you’ve “buried” because the trail turned cold? Perhaps your great-great-grandfather changed his name! Did the family spend time at the County Farm? Could the secrets of your ancestor’s military service lie in the records of another soldier? Expand your search and follow the FAN Club (Friends, Associates, and Neighbors)! Learn effective search techniques for the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections to track down diaries and manuscripts with genealogical treasures. Join Diane as she explores new sources and reexamines old ones, and learn to resurrect those “buried” ancestors.  

A Certified GenealogistSM since 2002, Diane Gravel is a full-time professional genealogist and lecturer. She is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and now lives in Thornton, New Hampshire. She frequently haunts the courthouses and other repositories of historic New England. Watch for her upcoming article on the published Official Records of the Civil War in the April-June issue of NGS Magazine.

BCG Skillbuilding Track

Being Organized

Julie Miller, CG

The theme of my three lectures in Richmond is organization. I have spoken to many genealogists over the years and have found that, like me, they hate using research time to organize. Being organized doesn't have to be difficult, complicated, or time-consuming.

"Adding Evernote to Your Genealogy Toolbox"

Thursday, 8 May 2014, 8:00 a.m., T210


Evernote is free software that helps you to gather, copy, store, and retrieve almost anything. And it allows you to sync the information across all of your computers and devices while storing it in the Cloud. Come and see why so many genealogists (including me) say they can't live without it!

P.S. I promise not to ask you to give up your genealogy software.

"An Ounce of Prevention: Making a Genealogy Disaster Plan"

Friday, 9 May, 11:00 a.m., F323

Genealogy documents, photographs, mementoes, and databases are a family’s most prized possessions. They could be lost in an instant in the event of a disaster. We are seeing it happen again and again as our weather becomes increasingly unpredictable. This lecture focuses on how to plan before you encounter a crisis. Being proactive could minimize your losses and keep your genealogy legacy preserved for future generations.

"Organizing Your Research Without Losing Your Mind"

Board for Certification of Genealogists® Skillbuilding Lecture

Saturday, 10 May, 11:00 a.m., S421

Most of us struggle to identify the best system for organizing our genealogy. The truth is, there is no "best system," only the best system for YOU. This lecture will discuss different methods and techniques to organize your genealogy research so you can spend more time researching a
nd less time reorganizing.

"Becoming an American: Naturalization Records"

Wednesday, 7 May 2014, 2:30 p.m., W143

Due to a speaker cancellation Julie has stepped in and will be delivering a fourth lecture in the Migration Track. The Conference Committee thanks Julie for always being willing to step up and provide what is needed.

Julie Miller is a native of Northern Kentucky who has lived in Broomfield, Colorado for twenty-two years. She was the genealogy columnist for the Broomfield Enterprise from 2001–2011. She is NGS Vice President and was chair of the 2010 and 2012 NGS Family History Conferences. Julie has been a volunteer at the National Archives at Denver for over 16 years.

Being Organized

Methodology Track

Helen A. Shaw

The Sociology of Cemeteries

Helen A. Shaw, MA, CGsm

Wednesday, 7 May 2014, W-152
Salons A-D, Marriott Hotel

Cemeteries are important because of what they can tell us about our ancestors; not just about them personally, but about them as a part of the community in which they lived.

This is not a talk about cemetery records; it is about what influenced people in their choice of where to be buried.

Given a choice, there are several factors which direct people in choosing a place of burial for family members or themselves. Understanding those factors can help narrow the search for a place of burial. If the place of burial is known, understanding those factors as expressed by the cemetery, the lot, and the grave marker(s) can lead to a better understanding of your ancestors.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a printout of the syllabus material to the lecture.

Old German Church and Cemetery
Waldoboro, Maine

I am an anthropologist by formal training and approach genealogy as a community wide study. I am a member of the Association for Gravestone Studies, the Maine Old Cemetery Association, and the Cemetery Committee for the town of Rockport, ME. Recently I have been working with state legislators to revise laws protecting Maine’s ancient burying grounds.

Methodology Track

State Research and German Tracks

Ernest Thode

For 22 years I was a local history & genealogy librarian at the Washington County Public Library in Marietta, Ohio, a fact which impacts both of my talks.

Wednesday, 7 May 2014, W146

Ohio: Virginia's Next-Door Neighbor

"Ohio: Virginia’s Next-Door Neighbor" is an appropriate topic because my library is located six blocks from the Ohio River, old Virginia’s border, also her daughter West Virginia’s border. There is much interaction across the river. Some of the implications for genealogy include vital records laws, land surveys, slave vs. free, ownership of the river, the Underground Railroad, occupations in natural resources, and the clash between New England and southern ways of life.  

Friday, 9 May 2014, F324

Using Historic German Newspapers Online

My talk on "Using Historic German Newspapers Online" got its start from from a patron researching his Washington County Schneider family.  After we found his ancestor’s place of origin in local church records, on a whim I searched online for “Bledesbach” plus “Daniel Schneider.” We found a notice in a Bavarian official newspaper announcing the sale of the family’s land prior to emigrating.  To test whether that was a fluke, I looked for my colleague’s “Jacob Jung II” plus “Ehweiler” and found his emigration application.  I was on to something! There are more German papers online than I dreamed. Historic German newspapers are a huge untapped resource with millions of pages from hundreds of titles worldwide, digitized, online, some searchable, for vital records, emigration records, land sales, military records, court summonses, and lists of appointments.

State Research and German Tracks

DNA Track

Administering a Surname DNA Project

Friday, 11:00 a.m., 9 May 2014, F329

Terry Barton is co-founder and President of WorldFamilies.net—which is dedicated to serving the genetic genealogy community—with a focus on projects, project administrators, and the individuals who are using DNA to further their genealogical research.

Terry started administering the Barton Surname DNA project in 2001.  He shares his learnings on the WorldFamilies site and provides Interim Project Administration to hundreds of “orphan projects” at Family Tree DNA, the world leader in testing DNA for genealogy.  He also provides direct project administrative support and/or free project sites to hundreds more projects.

Terry will share his philosophy and approach to surname project administration on Friday morning at the 2014 NGS Family History Conference.  You will get ideas to improve your project whether you are an experienced administrator, a beginning administrator, or a project member who wants to help improve their own project(s).

Terry is a pioneer in genetic genealogy, an ardent family historian and an amateur genealogist.  He serves as Atlanta Area Coordinator for ISOGG, coordinates two DNA Special Interest Groups for his local Genealogical Society, and is one of the founding Board Members of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy.

   

DNA Track

Technology Tips

Lisa Louise Cooke

Lisa Louise Cooke

Cooke is founder of the Genealogy Gems website and podcast, http://www.genealogygemspodcast.com, and author of four books including The Genealogist's Google Toolbox.


Can we be creative when researching our family history? Our ancestors might answer with a resounding NO, especially if we were to start making up stories about them. But there’s room for creativity in the research process. These days, that process includes the online research world.

It’s no exaggeration that I come across new and exciting technology tools almost every day. Whenever I explore a new app, online tool or website, I ask myself, “How could I use this for family history?” This is where things get creative, fun and ultimately very genealogically rewarding!

Here are some examples, which I’ll be talking about here at NGS:

Google Search Strategies for Common Surnames, Wednesday, 11:00 a.m., W129. We can Google our ancestors, their hometowns and histories. But what if your ancestor was named John Smith? Or your surname is Winter? Learn to separate your John Smith from the pack, your Winter surname from web weather forecasts and more.

Tech Tools That Catapult the Newspaper Research Process into the 21st Century, Thursday, 9:30 a.m., T219. Newspapers can give us the inside scoop on ancestors’ everyday lives, big events and deaths. Learn to use online tools to find old newspapers (online or offline) and search them efficiently.

Finding Living Relatives Like a Private Eye, Thursday, 2:30 p.m., T242. Different stories, photos and artifacts get passed down through different branches of a family. Learn to use online tools to find and communicate with long-lost relatives who may have their own view of your shared family tree.

Technology Tips

BCG Education Fund

2014 Leary Distinguished Lecturer

Kay Haviland Freilich

Kay Haviland Freilich, CG, CGL, FNGS, is the 2014 Leary Distinguished Lecturer at the NGS Family History Conference in Richmond, Virginia. Her topic is “Research Strategies That Work.” Effective strategies include focused, well-developed research plans, broad investigations of people and events affecting the target person, pristine documentation, and written summaries detailing findings and evidence. Applying tried and true methodology frequently leads to successfully resolving research problems. The lecture includes case studies illustrating the value of employing effective strategies.

Kay’s substantial contributions as a researcher, author, lecturer, and volunteer in the genealogical community are well known. She served as President of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (2003‒2005) and as Trustee, instructed at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (2006‒2012), served as a director of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, Vice President of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, and in a multitude of other positions across the genealogical field. She authored the NGS publication Research in the States: Pennsylvania, three family histories, and has published in numerous genealogical publications. Kay develops the annual BCG Skillbuilding Track at the NGS Conference in conjunction with NGS. In 2009, she won the National Genealogical Society Family History Writing Contest, and in 2012, she was named Fellow of the National Genealogical Society for her outstanding volunteer efforts in behalf of the Society.

During Kay’s tenure as an Education Fund Trustee (2003–2009), she developed its Putting Skills To Work program and the Helen F. M. Leary Distinguished Lecture Series. Education Fund Trustees are very pleased to welcome Kay “home” as the 2014 Leary Distinguished Lecturer.

BCG Education Fund