Sometimes I wonder if any of our elected representatives have ever even thought about researching their ancestors.Do they even realize that government records are valuable tools for genealogists? Do they even care? It certainly doesn't appear so.

We all know that government records such as census, immigration records, land records, probate records - to name a few - are essential for research. Many times they fill in the dash. The government is responsible for creating, preserving, and making these records available to the public. For a reasonable fee!!

For example, a few years ago I was looking for records in Fulton County, Ohio. A clerk spent about a half hour helping me find what I needed. Then another clerk in another office provided me with the copies I needed. I was charged a nominal fee for the copy. The research was part of the services of the courthouse. 

Unfortunately recently budget cuts and massive fee increases are threatening our access to the records we depend on. We can speculate on the reasons but lets set that aside for now. Instead lets concentrate on protecting our rights and records.

Rich Venezia and other genealogists have formed a group called Records Not Revenue and they need our support.https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/

Family Tree Magazine, September/October issue has a 7 page article devoted to this issue.   

What should you do? Don't ignore, get involved and be informed. It's important for the future of genealogical research.

 

FGS Virtual 2020 Conference had a lot of perks for seniors.

The first part of the FGS Virtual Conference is over and I am back home. Oh, Wait! I never left home. Sweet. I really believe this should continue to be an option for those of us who are seniors. Granted I missed seeing old friends and making new ones, but the convenience of being able to stay home is more important for me now.

When I first registered I didn't realize the convenience and frugal perks that were in store. First thing that hit me was that I am not paying over $100 a night for a room. That is at least a $300 savings right off the bat. In addition the cost of eating out for three days saved me at least $60. Fuel saving was about $30. All together that was almost twice the price of the conference.

But more importantly, the conference was not labor intensive. I didn't have to pack everything and load it in the trunk of my car. And once I got to the conference hotel I did not have to . . . . . well I don't even want to think about that parade. When the conference was over I didn't have to do all of that in reverse. I'm not the spring chicken I used to be so this is a blessing. Walking is not my strong suit any more.

My church has been doing virtual services since March and the council recently voted to install the equipment needed to continue this into the future. Apparently attendance at church services has increased. I would not stop attending church in person because I still want to see all my friends on Saturday afternoons. However, there are days when I just can't make it to church in person due to pain or weather.

On September 15 the second phase of the conference begins. The exhibit hall will be open until October 15. The On Demand sessions will be available until March 15, 2021.

FYI: For anyone attending this conference, please make sure that you sign in to your own account. When I tried to order my On Demand sessions, I found out that there is more than one of me at this event. This is not a surprise since it has happened to me at past conferences. We get the wrong rooms, wrong packets, and when the credit card bill arrives we find that we are paying twice for everything. BUT when one of us wins a door prize we all get a prize. And yes we won a very nice door prize this year. 

FGS pulls off a flawless virtual conference! Congratulations!

What a great conference day!! I admit, I'm still unwinding. Spent the day with the window open and a slight breeze. All comfy in my rocker watching speaker after speaker talking just to me. Occasionally I would sit at the table and watch the comments rolling by on my laptop. For me it was a perfect learning experience.

The speakers were excellent. When Judy Russell sent in her papers for this conference there was no Covid 19 and yet her lecture was spot on. Looking into pandemics of the past shed so much light on what we are going thru today. It's nothing new! 

Now I know that I need to get up on Saturday morning and watch Roots Less Traveled on NBC. It's WDYTYA for real people; not celebrities. Seems someone was listening.

A question I have asked for years was answered. Is there a place where descendants of  slave-owners can share names of slaves. Yes. https://beyondkin.org

Did you know there is such a thing as "quick and dirty" family trees? Clue: has to do with DNA  

New words in my vocabulary: Knowledge card, snippet, organic. Watch out google, here I come.

The next two days are workshops and picking my On Demand lectures. From there the conference lasts from September 15, 2020-March 15,2021. During this time I will have access to all Conference material.

Would I do it again? Ya betcha.

Was it frugal? Absolutely!!

Off to the FGS Conterence 2020 in my jammies!!

A year ago the FGS Conference was held in Washington DC. This year the Federation of Genealogical Societies will hold its final conference and due to the Covid 19 restrictions on large gatherings, it will be held online. Since the virus hit this country I now attend church online, attend lectures online, and now  i will be attending a major genealogy conference online. I kinda like it. Yes, I'm definitely spoiled.

Attending a conference can be labor intensive. Pack, load the car, drive several hours rain or shine, unload the car, locate my room, unpack, get my registration packet, find a restaurant, back to my room, jammies on and crash! 

Not this year!! This year I can do all that in my jammies, without the driving and packing. I remember the 2012 NGS Conference in Cincinnati. The Duke Energy Center was so big that I walked the soles off of my shoes. This year who needs shoes?!

So far this new experience has gone quite well. The test today for the Live Sessions tomorrow was simple and quick. The syllabus loaded quickly and without a hitch. The syllabus, by the way, is amazing with lots of information on each session. That is going to make it easier to pick out the 20 sessions I am getting in the registration I chose.

This year's conference kicks off tomorrow with Live! Event speakers from 11-7. Topics range from former pandemics in the world and genetic detective strategies to African American research and Google search methods. The live feed begins at 10:30 so we all have time to get on the same virtual page.