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My Speaking Schedule

2008: Jul-Sep Oct-Dec
2009: Jan-Mar Apr-Jun

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20-23 Aug 2008 Tremonton UT - Box Elder County Fair and Rodeo. Find me at Booth 207 in Commercial Building 2.

27 Sep 2008 Moorhead MN - 33rd Annual Genealogy Conference, Minnesota Heritage Education Commission, Minnesota State University, Box 82, Moorhead MN 56563.  http://www.mnstate.edu/heritage If you live within driving distance of Moorhead MN, this is your personal invitation, from me, to attend. I will also have a booth in the exhibit area where the majority of my own publications will be available.  If you see  a Utah pick-up truck on the road–HONK.
Topics:

  1. American Church Records:  Religious Belief dictates the records created and preserved by church congregations.  This session examines how to locate, search, and use  the many kinds of church records available in print, on microfilm, on  CD-Rom, and on the internet.   If you have hard-to-find ancestors,  a NEW research strategy  will allow you to use  the “internal evidence links” to trace and prove family relationships.
  2. Arm-Chair Genealogical Research:  Or, Getting the Most for Your Research Dollar Without Leaving Home–especially with $4.50 gasoline.  Here are your options:  photocopy services, interlibrary loan (including the Family History Library and the National Archives), using a field research agent efficiently, getting answers to your questions by postal mail and email, quick-search services, telephone research, co-op document ordering, genealogy data exchanges, internet search screens, and many more.  Professional genealogists do it and so can you!  Also addressed:   how to find cousins currently unknown to you and getting photos of your place of origin.
  3. Tracing the Ladies on Your Pedigree:  Ladies are 50% of your genealogy challenge.  How to find sources peculiar to women, how to identify maiden surnames, how to discover remarried surnames (some ancestors have married up to 5 husbands and had children with them all), and where to look when records don’t list parents.   Women’s occupations will be discussed in detail–the census enumerator almost always lied!   Insights on Father-daughter relationships, Gold-Star Mothers, DAR Grandmother projects, and why your ancestor’s place of burial is essential!
  4. Evaluating Genealogical Evidence:   This session concentrates on the evidence in genealogy records–with a practical demonstration so you can recognize the “hidden ancestors” in almost every record category.  Whenever there are more than one person with the same name, the same age, living in the same place, and married to the same spouse (Yikes), you will have “hidden ancestors” in those records.  Also discussed–resolving discrepancies, “slips of the tongue” evidence,  family traditions, and how to  cope with record-source failure.

My personal message in all of these sessions:  The internet is just one media where genealogy can be found.  Some of the old research methods and strategies work best when you have a difficult genealogy problem to resolve.  Unless your internet data is facsimile,  without alteration and sometimes without enhancement, your ancestor may still remain hidden and hard-to-find if you ignore the evidence in these presentations.

11 October 2008 Dodge City, KS - 50th Anniversary Genealogy Conference, Kansas Genealogical Society, Dodge City KS 67841. Location: USD #443 Learning Center, 308 Frontview, in Dodge City from 9:00am-2:45pm. Register at http://www.dodgecity.net/kgs/

My topics:
1.  Genealogy Evidence: How do I know my records are accurate?  How can I determine who is the right ancestors, given more than one choice?  Collecting, compiling, matching evidence correctly so that your records are both documented and proven.  Also discussed: resolving discrepancies, “slips of the tongue” evidence, family traditions, and how to by-pass record-source failure.  We will also examine why it is important to chart your records as you research.  Don’t let anyone sub-prime your genealogy!

2.  Is Your Genealogy Already Compiled?  If you do a careful “survey” of what is already known about your ancestors and often in print, you can save up t 150 hours of tedious research.  Locating and using family histories, genealogies, compiled biographies, autobiographies and autobiographical details in original sources, “first settler collections,” and other narrative sources will pay rich dividends for the time spent.  Also covered gallows confessions, courtroom biographies, slave narratives, and captive accounts.   Break your losing streak!

3.  American Church Records: How to Locate, Search, and Use the many kinds of church records available in print, on microfilm, on CD-Rom, and on the internet.   Religious belief dictates the records kept and preserved by congregations.  This session will show how to search these records for hard-to-find ancestors–a NEW research strategy and how to use “internal evidence links” to trace and prove family relationships.

14-15 November 2008 Mesa AZ - Family History Expo Mesa Convention Center, 263 N Center St, Mesa AZ. I will be speaking at 4 sessions Sponsored by My Ancestors Found.

17-22 November 2008 Salt Lake City UT - Family History Library Research Retreat. Sponsored by My Ancestors Found.

11 January 2009 The Immigrant Genealogical Library is located at 1310-B West Magnolia Blvd, Burbank CA.  Mailing address:  P.O. Box 7369, Burbank CA 91510-7369. I will speak to the combined Immigrant Genealogical Society and the Pommern Group.  Topic still to be decided.  This is the society’s regular combined meeting and it is held at the Library.  It is such a treat to visit that amazing library.  Since seating may be limited, be sure to reserve your spot early if you plan to attend.

27-28 February 2009 St George UT - Family History Expo, 2008 St George Utah. Dixie Conference Center, 1835 Convention Center Drive, St George UT. I am giving the Keynote address: Family History for Fun and Profit! Co-sponsored by FamilySearch.org and My Ancestors Found.

20 March-19 April 2009 - tentative dates spring research trip Do you want research done on this trip? In order to plan where we are going, you need to let me know as soon as possible. Email me now with subject of 2009 Spring Trip

20-25 April 2009 Salt Lake City UT - Family History Library Research Retreat. Sponsored by My Ancestors Found.

16 May 2009 Logan UT - Family History Expo, Eccles Conference Center 5005 Old Main Hill on the campus of Utah State University. Sponsored by My Ancestors Found.