The Salt Lake City Family History Expo is Coming!

Press Release from Family History Expo:

A massive family reunion will descend on Sandy, Utah, Aug. 28 and 29. All relatives – dead and alive – are invited to the 2009 Salt Lake City, Utah Family History Expo! This event is an opportunity for everyone to connect with the past, present and future through family history research.

You really can hang out with your great-great grandmother by reading the journals she kept and shared through public archives. You’ll see the family resemblance when you stumble across great-great grandfather’s childhood photograph. You’ll gasp when you learn Uncle Roy spent the better part of 1889 in the pokey for playing cards. Best of all, you will finally understand the traditions, perceptions, emotions, genetics and very origins of the family you have loved for a lifetime and yet never really known.

Family history opens doors to the past to shed light on the future. Now is the time to “learn the tech to trace your roots.” Connect with living relatives in search of the same family information you are mining. It’s amazing when new relationships blossom over a common goal and shared bloodline. The kindred spirit is real.

What: The 2009 Salt Lake City, Utah Family History Expo

Where: South Towne Exposition Center, 9575 South State Street, Sandy, Utah.

Date: Aug. 28 and 29, 2009

Time: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Registration: Online or at the door (7 a.m. on Friday & 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.)

Parking: FREE

Exhibitor space is available for a nominal fee. This is a great opportunity for exhibitors and family historians to connect. The exhibit hall is open to the public and, like our keynote address, is absolutely free. Don R. Anderson, senior vice president of services for FamilySearch is our keynote speaker!

FamilySearch, along with many other valued sponsors, is making it possible for us to offer in-depth courses to paid registrants on the use of the newly released version FamilySearch. For just $68, those who register by Aug. 24 can sign up for a wide variety of courses on the use of techniques and technology that will make family history research faster, easier, more accurate and amazingly exciting. Register at the door for $78. If you can only make it for a single day, pay just $48.

Register online right now and you will have immediate access to your class syllabi.

Your paid registration includes:

• Concessions and tables available in the Exhibit Hall for lunch)
• Printed Event Program
• Name Tag
• CD syllabus (to print your syllabus in advance, register online now and get immediate access!) (Note: Family History Expos will print your syllabus for an additional $25.00. Printed syllabi will be available at the event and can be shipped after the event. Purchaser pays shipping. To purchase your syllabus in book format, click on the button below.)
• Goody Bag stuffed full of coupons, discount offers, information and free trials
• Opportunity to have a FREE research consultation with a professional researcher at the Family History Expos Ask-the-Pros booth. E-mail expos@FHExpos.com to set up an appointment (you may also bring your research questions and sign up at the booth for available times)

Be sure to visit our Twitter Café and Blogging Bistro to learn fun new ways to connect with and communicate with your new “favorite” family members!

Go online right now and register for your seat at the Salt Lake City, Utah Family History Expo.

Classes at the Expo by Lisa Louise Cooke

August 28, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.

Google: A Goldmine of Genealogy Gems Part I

Room 200D

August 28, 2009 at 11:30 am

Google: A Goldmine of Genealogy Gems Part II

Room 200D

August 29, 2009 at 1:00 pm

Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101

Room 200C

Be Careful of the Family History You Publish

It could happen to any family historian:

• You toil for decades on your genealogy.
• You pull it all together and self publish.
• You bestow a copy of the precious tome on your local library or other repository.
• Then you find it on Google Books!

This is what happened to a man from Halifax, Nova Scotia. A desire to share his accomplishment ended up in a battle with Google. But how did Google get it's mitts on his book?

The lesson here is that once our precious family history is placed in a public repository, it's as good as on the Internet. I cover this specifically in my "Save Your Research From Destruction" presentation that I give at genealogy conferences around the country. Once your research is gifted to another organization, you lose control over it. They can shelve it, toss it, or give it away to another repository - and it sounds like that's what happened to the man in Halifax as his book ended up in the library of the University of Wisconsin - Madison. And that's where Google stepped in.

The University's library was one of 20 being digitized by Google under the agreement of the Google Library Project. The author stumbled upon it during a Internet search and was furious.

Google agreed to remove the book from Google Books, and there is a settlement in the works which will affect YOU if you share your self-published work with a library. Read the Baynewser article which includes details of the process Google will be following regarding similar situations in the future.

The British Link to WWI Passes Away At Age 111

"Extremely modest, dignified gentleman, with a slightly wicked sense of humour and considerate to everybody he met. Very polite and I would sum him up as a true gentleman," that's how Lesley Ross described her friend, Harry Patch.

Patch, the last surviving veteran of World War I in Britain has passed away, and with him goes the final living British link to "the war to end all wars."




Read Harry's obituary in the BBC News

Genealogy Blogging Wisdom: Be Youself - Everyone Else Is Already taken

If you love family history, then you have probably enjoyed perusing the many geneabloggers on the Web. They cover everything from stories of their own research to specific research techniques, to the latest records to come online.

Have you ever considered trying your hand at blogging about your family history? Blogging can be a fun way to share your finds, and document your stories. And much like uploading your family tree to the Internet, a blog can be a powerful tool for connecting with other researchers, relatives, and a long lost cousin or two.

In Episode 38 of the Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast I get a chance to chat with a very experienced and very popular blogger: The Footnote Maven.

The author of the Shades of the Departed blog will explain what that blog has meant to her. And since there are so many different types of genealogy bloggers, she will try to sum up how she thinks of herself in the blogosphere, and explain why YOU can be a genealogy blogger too!

In this episode you will learn:

• specific tips for getting started
• how the Footnote Maven prepares her blog posts
• what she would have done differently if she could start all over again
• 9 tips for getting readers to leave comments

The Footnote Maven believes every family historian can be a genealogy blogger. Her top advice? "Be yourself - Everyone else is already taken!"

Even if you don’t plan on starting a blog anytime soon, I know you will enjoy the Footnote Maven’s passion for genealogy, sense of humor, and words of wisdom.

Oldest TV in Britain - What's Your Oldest Applicance?

You won't find a channel changer knob on Jeffrey Borinsky's TV for a very good reason: there was only channel in 1936...the BBC.

Jeffrey's Marconiphone television was manufactured in the months after Britain's first "high definition" service began. As a collector of antique television and radio sets he hopes to restore it completely to it's original state. But he doesn't have to wait to view TV as his grandparents might have because the set still works with the help of a converter box.

Watch the Marconiphone for yourself in this video...and then leave a comment telling what the oldest appliance is in your home.

Lisa Gives You the Scoop on Newspaper Research in July Webinar

I love researching in old newspapers. They give you a unique view of your ancestors, add color to your family history, and are chock full of genealogical information.

But navigating your way to the right newspaper can be a real challenge because old newspapers are scattered across the country and the Internet.

Over the years I've developed techniques that have delivered success, and I'm really excited about bringing them to you in a live Family Tree Magazine Webinar!

In this online webinar I will be coming to you live, presenting slides and showing you on the actual websites how to find what you're looking for. It's amazing technology! And in the Q&A section of the webinar you can ask questions that I can answer real time and show you online the steps to take. And all of this happens from the comfort of your own home at your own computer!

Here's the scoop:

Finding Your Family in Old Newspapers:
Top Web Sites for Getting the Scoop on Your Relatives

When: Wednesday, July 29th at 7:00 pm Eastern / 4:00 pm Pacific

Duration: 1 Hour

Cost: $29.99

Presenter: Lisa Louise Cooke

Be aware: SPACE IS LIMITED!

Register now for this live, interactive web tutorial, and you will learn:

• key family history information you'll find in historical newspapers
• the types of articles to look for
• how to identify papers that likely covered your ancestors
• Web sites that have major newspapers and collections of newspapers
• search hints for key online newspaper collections

Your registration includes:

• Participation in the live presentation and Q&A session
• Online access to the workshop recording after the session concludes
• PDF of the presentation slides for future reference

You will not want to miss this one hour webinar! Can't wait to see you there!

How Does This Live Event Work?
An online workshop - also called a "webinar" - is a lot like a live workshop or seminar you'd attend at a genealogy society meeting or conference, only it takes place over the Internet. That means you can "attend" the workshop from the comfort of home. All you need is a computer and a broadband Internet connection.—No special computer skills are required.
>>Click Here to Learn More<<

Find Out Where the Genealogy Records are with Randy Seaver

In The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 67 you get an opportunity to meet the man behind the Genea-Musings Blog...Randy Seaver. In this one on one exclusive interview conducted at the Southern California Genealogical Jamboree you'll find out:

• What motivated Randy to start blogging
• The unique features of genealogy blogs
• Randy's take on his first conference
• Where the bulk of the genealogy records are

and much more!

And Genealogy Gems Premium members are in for a real treat this week:

A brand new instructional video showing you how to use one of the most powerful free online tools for mapping. By plotting out the locations where your ancestors lived and worked, you will gain a much stronger sense of not only their lives, but where to look next!!

Premium Member Sign In to watch the video

Sign up to become a Premium Member to gain access to members-only podcast episodes and over a dozen genealogy instructional videos, with new ones added every month.

4th of July Special Podcast Episode - Patriotic Vintage Music and Speeches

Over a hundred years ago Edison Records was using it's new cylinder recording technology to capture the music and words of America. In this special Genealogy Gems Podcast 4th of July episode published last year I had the pleasure of compiling some of the most inspiring sounds of that time:



Patrick Henry's speech performed by Harry E. Humphrey on Edison Blue Amberol, 1912


The Continental Congress - The You Are There radio show took historic events and dramatized them with "live radio" coverage style. C1947-1950


The Star Spangled Banner performed by Thomas Chalmers and chorus (including Elizabeth Spencer). Edison Records, 1915


Washington's Farewell Address performed by Harry E. Humphrey for Edison Blue Amberol 1912


If Washington Should Come To Life performed by Billy Murray on Edison Gold Moulded Record, 1906


Thomas Jefferson March performed by United States Marine Band on Edison Standard Record, 1909


Under Freedom's Flag performed by Edison Military Band on Edison Gold Moulded Record, 1908


Fourth Of July Address at Hyde Park, NY by President Roosevelt (4 Jul 1941)



My Country 'Tis Of Thee performed by Edison Male Quartette on Edison Gold Moulded Record, 1903



I hope you'll enjoy this episode and in particular, I hope that you will share it with your children and grandchildren. Listen while you barbecue or watch fireworks. Happy 4th of July!

How My Mom Prepared Me For the Geneablogger Summit

9 Genealogy Bloggers descended upon the Southern California Genealogical Jamboree this year in the form of a Geneablogger Summit



The summit, sponsored by Thomas MacEntee of Geneablogger fame, was a follow up to last years event and was aptly named "Son of Blogger."



I walked in to the banquet room about 15 minutes prior to the start time and immediately cringed as I realized I was the last panelist to arrive. (I had carefully budgeted my time between the Family Tree Magazine booth and the various events)




Dick Eastman rushed up to me and whispered "oh good! I'm not alone!" And I first I thought he meant that he, too, had just arrived. But soon he showed me his empty hands and confided it hadn't occurred to him to bring his laptop.

Laptop? What laptop? Who said we needed to bring a laptop? My mother taught me it was impolite to talk on the phone or type on a computer while talking to someone, so I certainly assumed that applied to being part of a presentation as well! (Turns out my mother is old school!)

Above: Dick and I laptopless while Shelley blogs

A quick rummage through my purse revealed my trusty digital voice recorder which I promptly whipped out on to the table before us and cleverly held up during my introduction saying that it was my blogging / podcasting weapon of choice. I like to think everyone thought it was planned.

We then we proceeded to spend one hour and five minutes introducing ourselves. No, that's not a typo - 1 hour and 5 minutes! Note to selves: "they invited us because they know who we are - cut intros short!"

During my intro moderator George Morgan showed my "Socks to America" video. I published it on YouTube about 2 years ago before Genealogists took over Facebook, so while it got a lot of views, it didn't get "Facebook shared" as it might today. It was fun to see a fresh response to one of my fave projects. My motto: Genealogy should be fun!"



But the most interesting folks were these (photo right): The Audience! Check out the adorable laughing gal in the front row! That's my kind of gal. These folks asked great questions and were feverishly taking notes on how to blog.

I trust that next year we'll see an expansion of genealogy blogging at Jamboree - perhaps with a How To Intro Class, followed up by an "Ask the Experts" type panel summit. Knowing the Jamboree's leadership, I have no doubt that genealogy blogging will only get bigger and better at future conferences.


Son of Blogger Panelists:
Lisa Louise Cooke
Ancestry Insider
Stephen Danko
Shelley Talalay Dardashti
Dick Eastman
Craig Manson
Leiland Meitzler
George Morgan
Pat Richley

Top 10 Things I Noticed at the Geneablogger Dinner

Southern California Genealogical Jamboree 2009
Geneablogger Dinner on Saturday night

Top 10 Things I Noticed at the Geneablogger Dinner:

#10 Genealogists draw their family trees on the paper tablecloths

#9 Randy Seaver and his wife sat at what we lovingly named "the kids table" (an extra table added to accommodate our large crowd)

#8 We had more in common than genealogy (Amy and I reminisced about the old Disneyland ticket books)

#7 Elyse resembles the girl from the movie Mama Mia

#6 Thomas is the host with the most

#5 Having your picture taken 15 times can blind you

#4 Gini's hubby is a saint (aka a non-genealogist who supports his wife's interest)

#3 My daughter Lacey (who didn't think she'd have much in common with this group) happily chatted away with her table mates

# 2 Amy is super cool for giving me a "Rock Star" ribbon for my badge (I had spotted them earlier and desperately wanted one)

And the #1 thing I noticed at the Geneablogger Dinner: Geneabloggers can make a LOT of noise!