Online Webinar Presenters

After posting the article on the upcoming 2013 webinars, I thought it would be interesting to note who the presenters were for the past several years and upcoming year combined, as posted on the websites of the top three organizations. For the three combined organizations, Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS), Legacy Family Tree (LFT), and Southern California Genealogy Society (SCGS), there were a total of eighty-two speakers. SCGS has forty-four speakers from 2012-2013, with most speaking one time. Legacy Family Tree has forty-one speakers from 2010-2013, with many speaking multiple times. ISGS has 22 speakers from 2012-2013, with all speaking one time.

Historic Novels and Genealogy Serendipity Moments

Sometimes we just need a book to read that we can escape in, to explore a different time and place. Historic novels written by authors who go to great lengths to explore information about those times and places are exceptional. One of my favorites is the author David McCullough and especially his book, 1776. The first time reading it I borrowed a copy from someone, as I was not sure if I wanted to purchase a copy. By the time the book was finished there was a deep desire to have my own copy. Fortunately one was found at a local book sale in our community, hardback for $1. This book was about the time and place where our ancestors lived and helped me to understand the experiences that were a part of their lives.

The Birth of One Child - Religious Affiliations

How is it possible that the birth of one child has so profoundly impacted our world for over 2,000 years? Were it not part of recorded history by humble disciples years later, the spirit of Christmas would be unknown today. Earlier this year I developed a lecture on power point entitled, Religious Affiliations and Their Records. For genealogists the use of religious records in our research is profoundly important no matter where we are researching in the world. According to wikipedia there are 2.2 billion Christians within the world population of 7 billion. On this Sunday before Christmas 2012 I thought I would share some thoughts about this part of my family history.

Amos Tidd Family Revolutionary War Patriots Update

A few months back I posted the page for the Amos Tidd Family Revolutionary War Patriots, which is an article I wrote for the Bulletin, the quarterly of the Genealogical Forum of Oregon. Due to the length and footnotes I prefer to post these articles as individual pages. Ever since I wondered why no one ever viewed this page and today discovered that it never posted properly. Just a short time ago this was corrected and the page is available for reading. It is one of my favorite family history stories of my favorite ancestral family.

This family had seven sons and at least six and possibly the father served in the Revolutionary War. Two sons died at Valley Forge. Abijah died March 30, 1778 and Nathan died October 28, 1778. The oldest son Amos and/or the father served in 1775. John, Oliver, and Daniel my direct ancestor, were serving for lengthy periods and all received pensions. Thaddeus the youngest son was only about ten at the time and does not appear to have served.

Webinars for 2013 A Great Educational Opportunity

Webinars are one of the best educational investments for genealogists, as most of them cost nothing to attend. For the 2013 calendar there are now over thirty four available for registration. They average three per month and there are certainly more to come.

The two hosting groups that have posted the upcoming webinars are Southern California Genealogical Society and Illinois Genealogical Society. For both of these groups if you miss the webinar you must be a member of their society to access the archived webinars. The annual membership is quite reasonable and offers additional benefits. One of my other favorite groups is the Legacy Family Tree group and their 2013 schedule is to be posted soon. With this group you may often view the webinar for a short time after it is presented, but to receive the accompanying handouts one must purchase the CD of that webinar.

Discovering Uncomfortable Things About a Family

On Monday I went to a Christmas party luncheon with several friends. While we were driving home I shared with them a little about the books I have been reading. The titles are the same, Sometimes God Has A Kid's Face, by two different authors, Father Bruce Ritter and Sister Mary Rose McGeady. The books are profoundly moving accounts of young people who turned to the Covenant House in New York City for aid in turning their lives around.

Shopping for Books, Unexpected Surprises

Recently I resigned from several city boards, including the library board. Serving on the boards was rewarding, yet stressful. With my health concerns I no longer felt I could give this service. Besides I am moving into more involvement in the genealogy field. The library board sent me a wonderful card of appreciation along with a gift card to Barnes and Noble. The closest store to us is at the local major shopping mall, so I went on Tuesday to spend this generous gift.

Office Cleaning - BYU Class Materials

The last few days I have been going through the course materials for the classes I took from Brigham Young University seven to ten years ago. Some of the material was pretty dated at the time of the courses, so now it is even more outdated. The materials of most interest to me are the submissions and writings I created as part of the courses. In my office there was an entire shelf filled with fourteen notebooks, one for each of the genealogy related courses. Today I have only six notebooks left and eventually may decide to discard even more.