FHF

Following the success of Andy's DNA After the Test eWorkshop, we're pleased to release five on-demand lectures from Family History Fanatics. Follow the links (that are the webinar titles) to the Vimeo store. 1.   Blogging Your Family History Blogs are a great way to share your family legends and discoveries with your extended family. You might even make some new cousin connections in the process! We’ll discuss the steps to set up a blog, what to write about, and pitfalls to avoid.  Regular Price: $9.99 2.   Heritage Scrapbooking Simplified Scrapbooks can be a visually appealing way to share your family legacy with children and those who ‘aren’t interested’ in family history. We’ll discuss what goes into a heritage scrapbook and two sources that can help you complete your project. This workshop is based on the book Family History Scrapbooking Simplified . The workshop is influenced heavily by digital scrapbooking, but paper scrapbooking will also be mentioned. Re...

Did you ancestor have a legal name change, was tried for misdemeanors, work as an indenture, break the Sabbath or marry outside of a church? If so, you should be investigating Justice of the Peace records. Wait. What? Yes. Justice of the Peace records handle many small transactions in the lives of our ancestors, but few people know how to access this information. Thankfully, Michael L Strauss of the Genealogy Research Network is available to help us discover the many records the JPs kept and how we can access the files. Your ancestor's case might be ready to crack open with a review of this record set. Micahel says that Justice of the Peace records, " are long overlooked by genealogists. These records are a wonderful source of genealogical information that will prove to be a treasure of information for any researcher." His webinar is part of the  Lake Havasu Genealogical Society spring eConference " Moments of their Lives ." The   Moments of Their Lives   eConfe...

In 2016, I attended RootsTech and found that finding my favorite genealogists in the massive Salt Palace Conference center was so difficult. The genealogy rock stars were teaching, networking, dashing in different directions, and I had trouble finding one particular blogging icon. Having had this experience, I wanted to make it possible to lock down an hour with some of my favorite genealogy folks for you if you'll stop by my booth #1952 at RootsTech! To kick off the Meet & Greet, each genealogy rock star will have a 10-minute interview for the Family History Fanatics YouTube channel. Once that's over, you get to take over meeting Thomas MacEntee   Elizabeth O'Neal   Randy Seaver Amy Johnson Crow Lisa Alzo Michael L Strauss Jill Ball Family Locket - Nicole Dyer and Diane Elder If you have a topic you'd like me to ask of any of these folks, let me know in the comments section below. Otherwise, Andy, Caleb, and I will ask about topics we know these folks enjoy sharin...

Reader Question : I have a family story that I want to include following the A Recipe for Writing Family History method. However, the story involves a person of questionable character. My relative received medical assistance from a General in General during World War II. Without that support, the relative would have died. Years later, the general was captured and executed for war crimes. How do I share the human side of a war criminal without offending people and making it sound like anything other than history? Answer : Write the story as it happened. Your job is not to pass judgment on everyone in your writing. Your task is to present the facts you discover in as objective a fashion as possible. Then let your reader decide for themselves. Many of criminals in history did positive things. I remember visiting the Saratoga Battlefield in upstate New York. There is a monument of Benedict Arnold. Actually, it does not mention his name and is only of his boot to honor his heroic deeds du...

Since the beginning of the   RootsTech Conference , innovation has been a vital feature of the conference. The RootsTech Conference grew from a series predecessor conferences including the Family History Technology Workshop, and the FamilySearch Developers Conference, the Computerized Genealogy Conference. RootsTech, as it is known today, made its branding debut in 2011. And since the official start of RootsTech, each year has changed and this year will be no different. In 2018, the conference made some changes that saddened many. The first was the cancellation of the Innovator Showdown which debuted in 2015. The first winner was StoryWorth, followed by Tap Genes in 2016 and OldNews USA in 2017. The Innovation Showcase, following the keynote on Wednesday morning, will have a 'main stage approach to highlighting advances in the genealogy industry' (according to the RootsTech website). It will feature a presentation in the areas of records, digital memories, and DNA and allow at...

Okay, okay! These classes would fit into many of the previous class categories, but it's interesting many of these were categorized as 'tech' in the filters on the RootsTech schedule page. I also threw in some others that fall into the 'tech' category, though many other class offerings fit the bill. I do love the five hot topics that are offered at this conference as they relate to technology and genealogy: privacy, copyright, and the hottest topic "Open Death Records Initiative." Hot Topics Wednesday 1:30 PM The Open Death Records Initiative Wednesday 1:30 PM Picture This! Images We Can Freely Use Friday 4:30 PM Digital rights and online privacy. Do you know the truth? Friday 4:30 PM Personal Security and Privacy Saturday 3:00 PM Online ≠ Free: Copyright Issues for Genealogy Social media Thursday 11:00 AM Pinning the Past Friday 1:30 PM Get ‘Twitterpated’ with Twitter for Genealogy Friday 3:00 PM Social Networking for Genealogists Tech Round Up Wednesday...

If you look at the work history, STORY is in the word. When you combine family with history and attempt to trace your ancestors, if you're failing to capture and preserve the stories of your families, you're missing the whole point.  RootsTech  offers 20 lectures and 4 workshops that focus on finding and recording the stories of yourself, your living relatives, and your ancestors. These classes benefit genealogists of all skill level. Wednesday 11:00 AM Family Story Slam - making the family story cool. Wednesday 11:00 AM Smart Scans With Your Smartphone Wednesday 1:30 PM EXIF Marks the Spot: The critical need for metadata portability Wednesday 3:00 PM Connect families through family history Wednesday 3:00 PM Turning Ancestors Into Art Thursday 1:30 PM Day One: Capture Life as You Live It Thursday 1:30 PM Photography in the 21st Century Thursday 1:30 PM Using Shutterfly for Your Family Reunion Thursday 4:30 PM A Gift of Life: Who's Writing Your Story? Thursday 4:30 PM Choosi...

What is genealogy without records to back up our theories? A variety of repositories have collections that you might be ready to turn to after you explore tree building. From probates to newspapers, to cemeteries records, and more, you have enough research opportunities to keep you busy until next  RootsTech  . Archives Wednesday 11:00 AM The Ancestors Await: Finding Your Ancestors through Archival Research Wednesday 3:00 PM Get to Know the National Genealogical Society Thursday 1:30 PM The National Archives Website—Much More than you expected Thursday 3:00 PM The National Archives (UK) - digitizing the collections Friday 11:00 AM Searching for Family History at the State Library Friday 4:30 PM Hidden Treasures in the Library of Congress Cemetery Wednesday 3:00 PM Find A Grave: Your Online Cemetery Thursday 11:00 AM Every Stone Tells a Story: Cemetery Preservation Thursday 1:30 PM Epitaphs & Icons: Discoveries In The Graveyard Friday 11:00 AM Written in Stone: Tombsto...