Genealogy Overload?

August has been a very busy month in the genealogy field for me. There has not been much time to do anything else. Here is what my month has looked like so far and it doesn't stop here.

As you all know, there was a wonderful presentation at the James County meeting in the beginning of the month by Steve Robinson. He presented the story of the first transcontinental airplane race.( You can read about it here.)

I have viewed 4 webinars this month concerning technology and societies. I learned about the Genealogy Cloud and which one is the right one for me and "Wiki's for Genealogists". Thomas MacEntee presented these webinars through Legacy Family Tree. Megan Smolenyak talked about the neglected history, also through Legacy Family Tree. I took another webinar that  explained the use of the Instagram app on my IPhone. "Dear Myrtle" and "Not Your Mother's Genealogy" presented this webinar.   WEBINAR'S- MY FAVORITE PASTIME!   I love them!

I spent a day at the library researching for an upcoming magazine article dealing with James County, Tennessee. I will go into more detail about this in another blog post later on,
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I am on the board of Tag Delta Genealogy Society and I had the presentation this month. We brainstormed about how to upgrade our society to meet the needs of new members, as well as, the established members. The internet and social media is changing how business is conducted these days. What do we need to do as a society to keep up with it?  These ideas will also be addressed at the FGS Conference next week. 

Also, I was a small part of a very excellent committee for the Chattanooga Area Workshop this past weekend. (You can read about that here.) Once again, Kudos to all of the speakers and the people behind the scenes.

I attended a lecture at the Chattanooga Library presented by the Chattanooga Area Historical Association. The speaker was Henry E. Simpson, from Birmingham, who spoke about General Streight's raids during the Civil War in the North Alabama area. The objective was cutting Bragg’s supply line by disrupting the Western & Atlantic Railroad which supplied Chattanooga. Streight and his Union troops were pursued by General Nathan Bedford Forrest during April of 1863.

I have been scanning documents and photos for this blog and another one that will be making its debut around the end of the year. Stay tuned!

I attended a family reunion and met some of my husband's family that I had not met before.

I have been trying to better organize my desk and filing system. Both, physical and digital. Unsuccessfully, I might add! I guess I just will have to come to terms that this will always be a "work in progress".

Lastly, I will be gone the last of August to go to the FGS Conference in Birmingham, Alabama. The Federation of Genealogical Societies' Conference deals with the issues that societies and archives face. I will taking classes about preserving and archiving the society's holdings, attracting new members, using social media to enhance the society's communication with its members, plus many more. I hope to implement some of these new ideas when I get back. I am still trying to read the enormous syllabus that I recieved to help me decide what classes that I want and/or need to take.

Whew!  With a massage, a nap and rehydration, I will be ready for the next busy genealogy-filled month.  Look out.....here I come!

* Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Workshop Review

The workshop is over and it was a booming success. We had approximately 120 people equally mixed between beginners and those who have had some experience with this hobby. Hope you all attended, learned something new and enjoyed our speakers. (Read about the schedule here.)  In case you did not make it, here is a review of our fun-filled, educational day.

After registration, people filtered into one of two classrooms. One for beginners and one for non-beginners. Each class was well attended. Jim Douthat and Linda Mines gave excellent and delightful presentations.  Jim Douthat, the James W. Livingood 2012 Award recipient for the Historian of the Year (read about this here), taught beginners how to start their family genealogy. Linda Mines, the Hamilton County Historian, gave an excellent presentation that followed the family through generational lines with the use of social and economic events. This is the class that I attended. She was awesome! She knows more about history and its effects on the lives of our ancestors than I can ever dream of. She's my hero! I want to be her when I grow up. If I ever get the opportunity to hear her speak again, I will be in the room on the front row,

Then the next classes began with Jim Douthat and Rufus Williamson. Jim Douthat discussed how to use the United States Federal Census's to extend your family history further down the generational lines. Rufus Williamson, the President of Delta Genealogical Society, conquered the hard topic of DNA. The science of DNA is the newest tool in the genealogical toolbox. If this topic was clear as mud before, I am sure you have some basic understanding of it now.

After a light lunch, we all congregated together for the day's highlight presentation. An entertaining speech from Dr. George Schweitzer.  He always comes dressed for the part. Can you Guess?  This presentation was entitled "Searching for our Ancestors Across the Ocean".  He is a nationally acclaimed genealogist, historian and longtime professor at the University of Tennessee. He is the author of 220 publications including 19 genealogical guidebooks and has lectured to more than 200 genealogical and historical societies in the U.S. and internationally. This man gives an informative, interesting and a very witty performance. AMAAAZING!

I sure am glad that I was one of the people sitting in this room. I can only speak for myself, but I believe that everyone else in these rooms felt the same way that I do about the workshop...................

When is the next one?

Congratulations to Delta Genealogical Society and Signal Mountain Genealogical Society. All of their hard work payed off.



Genealogy Workshop

The Chattanooga area is having a Genealogy and History workshop on Saturday, August 18, 2012. It will be held at the First Centenary Methodist Church, downtown Chattanooga at 418 Oak Street. It will begin with 2 sets of classes in the morning and then lunch. After lunch, there will be an amazing speaker, Dr. George Schweitzer.

The first set of classes will begin at 9 am in the morning. There will be two classes. One for beginners and one for intermediate researchers.  The beginner class will be taught by Jim Douthat. It is titled "Beginning Your Family History"  Do you or someone you know want to start learning how to find the information that is needed to start your own family genealogy? This class is for you! Or maybe you just need a refresher class! Yes, this class would be for you too!
The intermediate class is "The Times in Which They Lived." Linda Mines will talk about how the history of a certain time period and the location can impact your ancestors' lives. These historical events will help you understand the decisions that your ancestors might have made...maybe even help you break down a brick wall or two!

The second set of classes will begin at 10:30 and they will be handled in the same manner. The beginner class will be taught by Jim Douthat, as well. This one is "The Treasures Hidden in Census Records". Census records hold a amazing amount of  information, if you know how to decipher them properly. Allow Jim to unlock all of their secrets for you. This class would be informative for both the beginner and the intermediate genealogist. The class for the intermediate researcher is titled "DNA-Genealogy's Newest Tool". This class will be taught by Rufus Williamson. This definetly is the lastest, cutting edge tool  in our field of genealogy. Yes, it is hard to understand, but exactly why you need to take this class.

We will then break for lunch and then assemble to hear our esteemed speaker for the afternoon. Dr George Schweitzer will be helping us "Search for our European Ancestors". He is nationally known as a history and genealogy speaker. He will teach you and inform you in a very witty and humorous manner that you will walk away wanting to see and hear him speak again.

The entrance fee for a fun-filled and informative day that includes your lunch will be $20.00 at the door. You can't beat that! I look forward to seeing all of you on Satuday, the18th of August. If you can't do the entire day, I highly recommend that you try to attend the parts that fit into your schedule.