Come See Lisa at the SCGS Jamboree in Burbank June 8 - 10, 2012!

The Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree is just a few weeks away!  The theme this year is Lights, Camera, Ancestors! Spotlight on Family History.  Lisa will be speaking at this conference which takes place June 8-10 at the Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel in Burbank, CA.  To get more information, click here

Lisa's got a great variety of classes waiting for you:

THURSDAY:

TH-001 - Conversation with the Author: Steve Luxenberg and Annie's Ghosts
TH-013 - Common Surname Google Search Strategies

FRIDAY:

Free Demo at 3:30 in the Exhibit Hall: "3 Cool Tools to Powerboost Your Newspaper Research"

SATURDAY:
SA-020 - Sharing The Joy: Projects That Will Captivate The Non-Genealogists In Your Life
SA-034 - The Google Earth Scavenger Hunt – Fascinating Family History Fun!
SA-040 - 10 Ways to Add Volume to Your Family History with Video

SUNDAY

Free Demo at 12:30 in the Exhibit Hall: "3 Google Search Techniques You Should Be Using!"

There are also going to be some exciting special events happening over the weekend:
On Friday at 6:30 PM there will be a Hollywood Gala sponsored by Ancestry.com. Travel back in time with us to Hollywood's glory days. Red carpet, Walk of Fame stars, paparazzi, ... Lights, Cameras, and ANCESTORS! Tiaras not required but welcome. Dress up, dress down, it's up to you. Be sure to bring a big smile to the photo booth sponsored by FamilyTree DNA.

There is also a photo contest sponsored by 1000memories.com.  Share your favorite ancestor photo for a chance to win one of THREE Scan Cafe scanning kits to digitize up to 1,000 photos, slides, and or negatives (a $220 value). The photo in each of these three categories with the most “likes” by the start of Jamboree wins!

• The most humorous photo of an ancestor
• Pre-1900 photos
• Photo of the best-dressed ancestor

To find out how to enter click here.

Youth Program at the National Genealogical Society 2012 Family History Conference

(Arlington, VA)–The National Genealogical Society's thirty-fourth annual Family History Conference, The Ohio River: Gateway to the Western Frontier, will be held 9–12 May 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
A highlight of the NGS 2012 Family History Conference will be the Genealogy Youth Kamp on Saturday, 12 May 2012, at the Duke Energy Convention Center from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.  The Kamp, designed to develop an understanding of family history, is intended for youth 8 to 16 years old.  Scouts and 4-H groups are encouraged to participate in the event with their leaders.  The morning will be composed of a variety of hands-on activities including a workshop focusing on genealogical merit badges.  A special program is planned for interested parents, grandparents, and adults who are welcome to attend. 

The Genealogy Youth Kamp is free, but registration is required.  Space is limited.  Go to http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/attendee_registration to register.  After registering, please prepare for the Kamp by following the directions on the NGS Genealogy Youth Kamp web page http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conferences_events/annual_conference/youth_kamp

Family History Expo Comes to Houston, TX

Family History Expos is coming to Houston, Texas for the first time on April 6-7, 2012, and I'm very excited to help kick off the event as the keynote speaker, in addition to teaching four classes. Here's everything you need to know from the folks at Family History Expos. I hope to see you in class and be sure and stop by my booth in the exhibit hall and say "hi!"

 

PRESS RELEASE
Beginners to old-timers can get a Texas-sized jump on their family history April 6-7 at the Houston Family

History Expo 2012. Opening keynote speaker Lisa Louise Cooke will fire up the crowd with great ways to

get started and stay motivated to engage in family history during her opening address on Friday at 2 p.m.

Register online, by telephone, or at the door. The Expo will take place at the Houston Marriott South at

Hobby Airport. Registration begins and exhibits open at 1 p.m., Friday and at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

“Our 2012 theme is: ‘Your family history starts here!’” FHE Founder and President Holly T. Hansen said.

“We are so thrilled to bring our Expo to Houston this year. This is going to be a great event with such

quality information. I just can’t believe how great our presenter line-up is for this Expo!”

Hansen said Family History Expos is responding to a soft economy by lowering prices to make family

history education more affordable than ever before. “We know people are stretching their dollars as far as

they can and we want everyone to get the information they need,” Hansen said. The company travels

throughout the United States to help people get jump started on their family history and this year it is

presenting more shows than ever before.

Lisa Louise Cooke Brings Expertise, Excitement

Keynote speaker Lisa Louise Cooke is producer and host of the Genealogy Gems Podcast, an online

genealogy audio show at www.GenealogyGems.com .

In addition to her keynote address at 2 p.m. on Friday, Cooke will present a seminar on “Ultimate Google

Search Strategies” at 4:50 p.m. At 7:50 p.m. she will present, “Google Earth for Genealogy – Rock your

Ancestor’s World.”

Cooke’s Saturday presentations include “Getting the Scoop on your Family History in Newspapers” at

11:20 a.m. and “Sharing the Joy: Projects that Will Captivate the Non-Genealogists in Your Life” at 2:30

p.m.

“Our industry experts are people with years and years of experience who are delighted to assist family

history and genealogy researchers in breaking down the brick walls blocking paths to their pasts,” Hansen

said.

Expo to Feature Speaker from Kumasi-Ghana

Oral historian Paul Adjei, Worldbiz Business Chief Executive Officer will be on hand to enlighten

participants on his company’s efforts to preserve the oral history of the Akan, one of the most powerful

tribes in West Africa. Adjei and 20 field staff members are performing research on the tribe and collecting

oral genealogical data. Adjei will present on “The Importance of Oral Genealogy in Ghana” and “Challenges of

Genealogical Research" in Ghana.

Participants can attend any single class for just $20.

Exhibitors will be on hand to offer products and services to assist families in furthering their family history

research.

The cost to attend this two-day event is just $69 with pre-registration and $99 at the door. Pay only $59

for one day. Onsite registration will begin and the exhibit hall will open at 1 p.m. on Friday. The event will

close at 9 p.m. Exhibits and registration will re-open at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The exhibit hall will close at 4

p.m. Prizes donated by exhibitors will be given away both days and Grand Prizes donated by sponsors

will be given away at the closing ceremony. This event is sponsored by Family History Expos and

supported by FamilySearch.

Register now at

www.fhexpos.com or call 801-829-3295 for telephone registration.

Win a Family Tree University Virtual Conference Registration

Online learning program will give away one three-day pass for March 9-11 event in sweepstakes
And Discount Coupon Code Below!

CINCINNATI, February 15, 2012—Family Tree University’s Spring 2012 Virtual Conference will feature three days of online genealogy learning, with 15 downloadable video classes, live chats and discussions, daily contests and more. And one lucky genealogist will get to experience it all for free. 

Enter the Virtual Conference Sweepstakes at http://www.familytreeuniversity.com/sweepstakes for a chance to win a free registration to the March 9-11 conference, a $199 value. You don’t have to travel across the country or even across town to participate: The conference takes place entirely online, with classes and discussions led by an all-star cast of genealogy instructors. Class topics include:

»        Using Steve Morse’s One-Step Site to Get Ready for the 1940 Census with Thomas MacEntee

»        Using Your iPad for Genealogy with Nancy Hendrickson

»        3 Cool Tools to Help With Your Newspaper Research with Lisa Louise Cooke

»        What’s in a Civil War Pension File? with Diana Crisman Smith

»        Online Resources for Polish Research with Lisa A. Alzo

»        Using Guardianship Records in Genealogical Research with Marian Pierre-Louis

For more details and a full list of classes, visit http://www.familytreeuniversity.com/virtual-conference

Sweepstakes entries must be received by February 23 at 11:59 Eastern Time; the winner will be announced February 24.

Winning the sweepstakes isn’t the only way to get a bargain on a Virtual Conference ticket: Family Tree University is giving all readers of this blog $40 off registration. Enter coupon code LLCOOKE when registering.

About Family Tree University

Family Tree University is part of the Genealogy Community at F+W Media, Inc., which also encompasses Family Tree Magazine—America’s most popular family history magazine—the Family Tree Books imprint and the ShopFamilyTree.com online store. These publications and products are devoted to providing engaging, easy-to-understand instruction that makes genealogy a hobby anyone can do. In addition to the virtual conference, Family Tree University offers more than 30 online genealogy courses and monthly live webinars.

Indiana Genealogical Society Annual Conference

February 20, 2012 –Fort Wayne, Indiana: The Indiana Genealogical Society (IGS) is holding its annual conference on April 28, 2012 at the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Debra S. Mieszala is the featured speaker. Her talks include:
·        Lessons from a Snoop: Collaterals and Associates
·        Bringing Our Soldiers Home
·        Digging Through Documents Word By Word
·        Patently Unique: Locating Patent Records, Onlineand Off

A second track of sessions features:
·        What’s New with FamilySearch with Michael Hallfrom FamilySearch
·        Finding Indiana Records and Research inFamilySearch with Michael Hall
·        Becoming an Expert on Using Ancestry with ACPLlibrarian, Melissa Shimkus
·        Writing a Book Using Family Tree Maker andMicrosoft Word with Curtis Sylvester, President of the Allen CountyGenealogical Society of Indiana

Registration is $30 for IGS members, $40 for nonmembers and$45 at the door. Registration forms and online registration are available at http://www.indgensoc.org/conference.php.

Spend the day learning from experts, researching in thecountry’s second largest genealogical library and collaborating with othergenealogists.

Come a day early to join the IGS pre-conference and gainresearch time in the library. Topics on April 27, 2012 include:
·        Indiana County Genealogists Show N’ Tell
·        Social Media for Our Societies
·        Ask the Experts Panel

Registration for the pre-conference is only $5 or $7 at thedoor. Find out more at www.indgensoc.org/seminar.php.

About the IndianaGenealogical Society
Formed in 1989, the Indiana Genealogical Society strives tohelp preserve and publish materials relating to the people who settled thestate. IGS has been at the forefront of efforts to make Indiana’s historicalrecords more accessible to the public by indexing and digitizing records. IGShas more than 500,000 records on its website, representing all 92 of Indiana’scounties. Learn  more about IGS at http://www.indgensoc.org.   

RootsTech Registration Winner Shares Her Conference Experience

It's hard to believe that another RootsTech conference has come and gone. It was a whirlwind weekend packed full of genealogy, technology, and live social networking.

While at the conference held at the gorgeous Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City I managed to squeeze in interviews with the movers and shakers in family history between the classes I was teaching. (You can view the video of my Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101 presentation that was streamed live at RootsTech which is part of the Saturday Recap video on the RootsTech homepage.)

In this first video I'll introduce you to one of the 4,000 genealogists and technologists that attended the event. Carol is a Genealogy Gems Podcast listener and winner of a free RootsTech registration that we gave away on the Genealogy Gems Podcast Facebook fan page.  In this interview, Carol shares her experience and what she learned at this innovative event.

Join Me at Jamboree! Registration Now Open

The 43^rd Annual Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree is now officially open for registration!

For more information and registration click here.

I will be there along with probably about 1700 other genealogists for one of the biggest family history shindigs of the year.

We will all once again be meeting up in Burbank, CA  in June 8 through the 10 of 2012.

This incredibly popular conference will be held at Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel at 2500 Hollywood Way in Burbank, California.

There will be Pre-events such as the Family History Writers Conference and Tech-Trax on Thursday, June 7. 

I'll be hitting the stage on Saturday for three exciting presentations:

Sharing the Joy: Inspiring Ways to Captivate the Non-Genealogists in Your Life
Saturday at 10:00 am
(in techie and non-techie ways - you can hear more about this class in the next Genealogy Gems Podcast episode) Learn creative ways to capture the imagination of your non-historian friends and relatives, while honoring your ancestors. The joy in genealogy isn’t just climbing your family tree, but building bonds with current and future generations, and this class will show you high tech and low tech ways to do just that. You are guaranteed to be inspired!

The Google Earth Scavenger Hunt – Fascinating Family History Fun!
Saturday at 2:00 pm
Getting your family involved in the family history can be challenging, but with Google Earth you will be able to grab their attention and get them willingly involved! In this BRAND NEW CLASS learn how to create a genealogy scavenger hunt in Google Earth that is exciting, interactive and rich with multi-media. Whether your relatives live next door or across the country, everyone can get involved, learn and make discoveries!

10 Ways to Add Volume to Your Family History with Video
Saturday at 3:30 pm
In this BRAND NEW CLASS you will learn ten ways that online video can add volume to your family history. Genealogists can use video in countless ways to learn more about their ancestors, enhance their online presence to attract others researching the same family lines, and create intriguing projects to be shared.

See you there!

RootsTech Announces Ancestry.com as Keynote

#RootsTech has just announced  a panel of Ancestry execs as a unique "Keynote" at RootsTech 2012.  Here's the scoop from the RootsTech website:

"From the arduous task of scrolling through microfiche, to bringing family history research online, to taking your family tree with you on the go, Ancestry.com is leading the technology landscape for family history. With technology available to surface the 7 billion records and 29 million family trees on the site, Ancestry.com has the sophisticated engineering and systems in place to take on the challenges of the fast growing family history industry, while also creating an avenue for users to weave search results into an edifying and meaningful family history story.

Get the inside details of the technology behind Ancestry.com from some of their top technology leaders in this don’t-want-to-miss panel discussion, moderated by Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of Ancestry.com. The panel will also feature the following Ancestry.com leaders: Eric Shoup, SVP of Product; Scott Sorensen, VP of Development; Jonathan Young, SVP of Technology; and Ken Chahine, SVP of DNA."

RootsTech Schedule Announced and Last Chance for Discount

It was all over Facebook: Genealogists who didn't attend the #RootsTech conference debut last year lamenting their decision on Facebook and Twitter.

Indeed it turned out to be one of the family history highlights of the 2011.  And RootsTech 2012 is shaping up to be a "must attend" event for anyone interested in tracing their roots.

Thankfully there's still time to get in on the discounted ticket price of $149 (reg. $189), but hurry because it only lasts through January 13, 2012.

Everyone has waited with baited breath to see the class schedule, and it's finally here! It's packed with sessions for technology developers and genealogists alike.  I'll be presenting three sessions:

• Thursday, Feb. 2 at 11:00 Google Earth for Genealogy (a hands-on workshop!)
• Friday, Feb. 3 at 9:45 am Genealogy Blogs and Podcasts 
• Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1:45 pm Inspiring Ways to Captivate the Non-Genealogists in Your Life

I hope to see you in class and please stop by and say at my Genealogy Gems booth in the Expo Hall.  (And thankfully after a bit of an online genealogy uprising online you will have book seller booths to visit too!) You may also see me in the Media Hub where I will once again be interviewing the movers and shakers, as well as attendees to give you an insider's look at this exciting event.

The event is once again being held at the Salt Palace Convention Center just steps from The Family History Library- the greatest genealogy library in the world!  Click here to visit the website to learn more about the venue and nearby hotels.

Start off the New Year with no regrets - attend RootsTech 2012 and see what happens when genealogy and technology converge!  

Early-Bird Deadline Approaching for APG Professional Management Conference

WESTMINSTER, Colo., December 13, 2011− The early-bird registration deadline is rapidly approaching for the upcoming APG Professional Management Conference (PMC). The one-day conference will be held February 1, 2011 at the Radisson Hotel, Salt Lake City. Members who sign up before December 31, 2011 will receive $25 off of the registration fee. The conference is also open to non-members. PMC is being held one day before the RootsTech Family History & Technology Conference (http://rootstech.org/).

The conference, themed “Techniques, Tools, and Technology,” will feature lectures from top genealogists, including J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA; Paula Stuart-Warren, CG; Thomas MacEntee; Teresa Koch-Bostic; Melissa A. Johnson; Laura G. Prescott; Kory L. Meyerink, AG; and Diane L. Giannini, CG. Lectures will provide strategic and practical advice for genealogists, from research planning to earning a living.

The conference is open to professionals, aspiring professionals, and anyone interested in networking with professional genealogists. Lecture topics and registration details at http://www.apgen.org/conferences.

About APG:

The Association of Professional Genealogists (www.apgen.org), established in 1979, represents more than 2,400 genealogists, librarians, writers, editors, historians, instructors, booksellers, publishers and others involved in genealogy-related businesses. APG encourages genealogical excellence, ethical practice, mentoring and education. The organization also supports the preservation and accessibility of records useful to the fields of genealogy and history. Its members represent all fifty states, Canada and thirty other countries. APG is active on LinkedIn, Twitter (www.twitter.com/apggenealogy) and FaceBook (www.facebook.com/AssociationofProfessionalGenealogists).

See You At The Georgia Family History Expo Nov. 11 & 12

It's hard to believe that it is already November, and that means I'll be attending the last genealogy conference of 2011.  The Georgia Family History Expo will be held November 11 & 12, 2011 in Duluth Georgia at the Gwinnett Center.

This is my first time attending this particular expo, and it promises to be an exciting one.  I'll be presenting three classes:

• Google Earth for Genealogy
• Ultimate Google Search Strategies
• How to Create Awesome Family History Tours with Google Earth

When I'm not in class you will find me at my booth in the exhibit hall (booth #2) and my daughter (my right-arm) Vienna will be with me. We'll be answering your questions and I'll be signing copies of my book The Genealogist's Google Toolbox.

Expos offer a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere for soaking up family history and checking out the latest products and resources. I can't think of a better way to spend the day!

You can register online here.

Location:

Gwinnett Center
6400 Sugarloaf Parkway
Duluth, Georgia – 30097

Visit with Exhibitors from Across the United States:

FamilySearch.org - Salt Lake City, Utah (Sponsor)

Georgia Genealogical Society – Atlanta, Georgia (Sponsor)

Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society – Metro Atlanta Chapter (Sponsor)

Geni.com — Los Angeles, California (Sponsor)

Genealogy Gems Podcast – San Ramon, California

Family Roots Publishing – Bountiful, Utah

Stories To Tell – Redding, California

AGES-online — Lenexa, Kansas

Family Tree DNA – Houston, Texas

Wolf's Head Books – St. Augustine, Florida

JustAJoy.com – Huntersville, North Carolina

Genealogy Book Printing — Glenville, Georgia 

Creative Continuum — Anaheim, California

Gene Tree — Salt Lake City, Utah

Creative Memories — Stone Mountain, Georgia

The Genealogical Institute — Tremonton, Utah

And more

Hear from Nationally Recognized Speakers:

Lisa Louise Cooke – California

DearMYRTLE – Utah/Virginia

Arlene H. Eakle, Ph.D. - Utah

Thomas Jay Kemp – Connecticut

Robert Scott Davis – Alabama

M. Bridget Cook – Utah

Ann Mohr Osisek – Florida

Anita R. Paul – Georgia

Seema-Jayne Kenney – Massachusetts 

Ken Aubuchon – Kansas  

Joleen Aitchison – Missouri

And more

All the details are available online here. 

Over at his Genealogy Blog Leland Meitzler is reporting that The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah will be offering free book scanning services at this years expo:

"Benefits of scanning your book:

• Share it with others easily and inexpensively
• Have a copy of your book preserved by FamilySearch
• Provide access to others who may share your ancestral lines by making the book available free of charge on FamilySearch.org

How it works:

• Sign-up and reserve your time for your book to be scanned (300 page limit)
• If your book is copyrighted, print out and have the copyright holder sign the permission form in order for scanning to be performed
• Bring your book and signed permission form to the FamilySearch Scanning booth at the Expo on day of your reservation. Please drop the book off before 10:00 am, if possible, to allow maximum time for scanning
• Pick up your book and the digital copy on a flash drive provided by FamilySearch at the end of the day

Sign up online to reserve a day for your book to be scanned:
Friday — http://familysearchbookscanning.eventbrite.com
Saturday — http://familysearchbookscanning2.eventbrite.com"