Planning Ahead to Attend a Genealogy Conference

Have you made plans yet to register for our annual Family History Conference on Saturday, 6 May? Whether it’s your first time or you are an old pro at attending conferences and workshops, there are some tried and true steps you can take to make the most of your experience. So, if you are thinking about (or have already registered for) the StLGS conference, the National Genealogical Society Conference at the end of May, or any other upcoming genealogy day-long or multi-day event, here are some helpful reminders.

October StLGS Genealogy Meetings and Events

Before we get to genealogy, all of us at StLGS want to send our best wishes to our friends in Florida and the Carolinas, with hopes that you, your loved ones, and your homes are safe in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Our hearts are with those of you living in areas where there was destruction; please know that we are thinking of you.

Now that fall has arrived, if you still haven't ventured back out to work on your genealogy, why not plan to attend a monthly meeting? Our October monthly meeting will again be at the Thornhill branch of St. Louis County Library, but will also be livestreamed for those who can't attend in person. We have an Irish SIG meeting in October, and, in case you missed the Fall Speaker Series, the good news is you can still attend virtually! The recordings are now available, and you can register on our website. Also, StLGS members, it's time to vote in our annual election of officers! More information about everything is below.

Conference Wrap-up, Digital Recordings, and Three New Publications

The challenges of holding our 50th annual—and first hybrid—Family History Conference on Saturday, 14 May 2022 were enormous, but thanks to the non-stop efforts of many people, it was a huge success. It was not without some glitches, however, but all were overcome in the end. Kudos to StLGS vice-president of programs, Kay Weber, who spent countless hours emailing, calling, and organizing while setting up the speakers and topics, and to StLGS president, Karen Goode, who oversaw the Zoom team, coordinated the kitchen, and sorted the dozens of miscellaneous bits and pieces of the day. Kay and Karen’s conference planning team met regularly so that registration, signage, the syllabus and handouts, the sales area, technology, and all the other areas that needed coverage were, indeed, covered.

Mastering Zoom, Part II: Joining a Webinar

Taking a genealogy class via Zoom is a bit different than attending a Zoom meeting. Last week, we talked about meetings and this week, we will concentrate on Zoom webinars. For directions on downloading the Zoom app and logging into a meeting or a webinar, you will want to look at last week's post before reading on.

10 Genealogy Webinars Now Available on StLGS Website—Many for Free!

As this very strange year begins to draw into its waning days, and with all the coming and going of Zoom meetings and digital recordings, this is a good time to remind everyone of the growing collection of recorded classes, meetings, and webinars that are now available on our website. Although our online classes are only for members, meetings that have been digitally recorded are open to everyone, and it’s still not too late to take advantage of the virtual Fall Speaker Series, "Often Overlooked St. Louis Resources," with livestreamed lectures scheduled for next weekend, October 17th and 18th. Here is what is currently available on our website and how to access everything that is there. Be aware that there are expiration dates on some of the recordings, so don’t miss your chance to watch!

Summer Speaker Series Will Be Online in June!

With an ongoing commitment to the health and safety of our members and friends, and due to the great success of our virtual Family History Conference, the StLGS 2020 Summer Speaker Series will now be offered online. Believe us when we say we wish we could see your faces, share a coffee, and chat in person about family history, but that just can't happen right now. Thanks to the flexibility and willingness of our speakers, we are pleased to be able to continue to hold the Summer Speaker Series, now expanded to two days with two lectures presented live each day and access to all four presentations for ninety days online. Here's the scoop:

Hidden Gems at the Missouri State Archives

 

Featuring Missouri State Archivist, John Dougan, Kelsey Berryhill, and Christina Miller

Live Webinars: Saturday, 27 June at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. 

AND

Sunday, 28 June at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. 

(Digital recordings of all four talks will be posted online by Monday, 29 June and remain available until the end of September. All lecture times are Central Standard Time (CST).

Saturday, 27 June 2020
1:00 p.m. (CST): "Plundering the Bounty of the Missouri State Archives" (Christina Miller)
3:00 p.m. (CST): "All Hands on Deck: Using State Government Publications to Track Your Ancestor’s Career" (Kelsey Berryhill)

Sunday, 28 June 2020
1:00 p.m. (CST): "X Marks the Spot: Researching Land Records at the Missouri State Archives" (Christina Miller)
3:00 p.m. (CST): "Peg Legs, Rum, and Eye Patches: Reasons Your Ancestors Did Not Serve in the Civil War" (John Dougan)

We are again using Zoom, an internet platform, to host the live presentations and digital recordings. Zoom has a limit of 100 participants for each live talk and those spots will go to the first 100 registrants who sign in for each lecture. If you cannot attend the live session, all registrants will still be able to watch the lectures online afterwards. Recordings will remain active for ninety days, so you may watch them at your convenience.

Registration for the Summer Speaker Series

New lower price! All four lectures are now available for $35 for StLGS members and $45 for non-members. More information about the lectures (including descriptions of each), speakers, and the registration process is on our website.

Register via our secure online store or by downloading and mailing a registration form from our website.

After you have registered, you will receive an invitation to the Summer Speaker Series via the email address you provided. (Note: The email will come to you during the week before the live webinars.) The handouts will be available to you as downloadable PDFs and you will receive an email with instructions on how to access them.

We are delighted to be able to continue to provide educational opportunities for family historians and look forward to "seeing" you online soon!

Updates to the StLGS Website

FHC Conference Recording Update and More

Registration for the 2020 virtual Family History Conference will remain open until early July. As of this week, there are six digital recordings available to registrants. "Civil War Eyewitnesses" from Dennis Northcott and "Using Technology in Genealogy Research" from Cathy Amen have been added to the original four recordings from "The Legal Genealogist," Judy Russell, and are now online. We expect to add John Dougan's lecture this week, followed by the last three talks as soon as the speakers are able to record. Remember that registering for the virtual FHC entitles you to all ten lectures plus the complete syllabus! Each of the lectures is available to view for ninety days from the date they are posted online. For more information on the conference, and/or to register, see the conference page on our website.

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Although many St. Louis researchers know Dennis Northcott, assistant archivist at the Missouri History Museum's Library and Research Center, our newest speaker on technology, Cathy Amen, is a first-time lecturer for our Family History Conference. We thought you might like to learn more about her, so Laura Mackinson, StLGS social media chairperson, asked her these questions:

Laura: What's the most useful new tech for genealogists? Why?
Cathy: Actually, my must-have is my smart phone. There are so many apps available now that make researching quick and efficient. All of the major genealogy research sites (Ancestry, FamilySearch, My Heritage, etc.) have mobile apps that allow you to research, access your trees, review DNA matches, and more, wherever you are. I also love the ability to review physical records, scan them into PDF or JPG format, and upload to my notetaking or genealogy software easily with a few clicks. My research time has become so much more efficient, allowing me to spend time doing what I love—actual research!

Laura: There's nothing wrong with using pencil and paper to do your research, but if you avoid technology, what might you miss out on?
Cathy: The above answer alludes to this question as well. If I relied just on paper and pencil, I would limit my time and ability to research. Technology allows me the ability to organize my findings, attach copies of documents to my tree, and become more efficient. I can easily share my findings with family members, whether by emails, blogs, or Facebook groups. Plus, the use of technology ensures that my research findings will be available for future generations.

Laura: If you had to select only one or two, what tech should genealogists adopt first?
Cathy: I encourage everyone to use a designated genealogy program for organizing and maintaining their tree. It can be an online product, such as Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, etc. or a personal program that can be modified to suit your needs: Reunion, RootsMagic or Legacy. Please move from paper! Your descendants will thank you!

Laura: What originally sparked your interest in genealogy?
Cathy: I have always loved to read, especially biographies and history. I tried to imagine how my family members lived in other historic times and places. My grandparents always shared family stories and I wanted to validate them. A funny story, my maiden name is Todd. We were told that we were related to Mary Todd Lincoln, since our family came from Kentucky, as did her family. My husband believed it, because as he said, I’m a shop-a-holic and "crazy like she was reported to be.” However, research and DNA totally disproved this family story. None of my family members are happy with me! Our only claim to fame shut down, although I can’t confirm they still don’t use it!

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New on the StLGS Website: Master Index to the St. Louis City/County Biographies

With 170 biographies now online and more waiting to be uploaded, it was time to make it a little easier to find the subjects of the biographies. From the beginning, we have had an every-name index, divided into alphabetical segments, with the subjects' surnames in all caps. However, as the project grew, so did the indexes, making it difficult to just browse. Now, with the addition of the master list, you can see at a glance exactly who is the subject of a biography and go directly to the page. As in most of our indexes, women are listed by both married and maiden names. Check out the new index on the St. Louis City/County Biographies page under the "Indexes" heading. 

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We're Still Here for You!

As we continue to social distance throughout the upcoming weeks, the StLGS office remains closed for the safety and protection of our volunteers and visitors. However, our online store remains open for registrations, memberships, and merchandise, and all volunteers with StLGS email accounts are monitoring their email daily. So, if you have any questions or need anything, don't hesitate to send a note. We love to hear from our members and friends! For a complete list of email addresses, visit the Contact Us page on our website.

Interview with Judy Russell & Final Instructions for Registration for the FHC

Last week, we announced our first-ever virtual Family History Conference (FHC), featuring nationally known genealogist and legal expert, Judy Russell, "The Legal Genealogist," and the excitement is mounting as we approach the dates for live-streaming her lectures. On Saturday, 18 April, and Sunday, 19 April, we will present Judy's four talks live, including time for questions and answers at the end. Have you registered yet? If you would like to participate in the live-streaming, time is of the essence. We need time to contact you prior to the broadcast, so registration for the live-stream presentations will end on Wednesday, 15 April at 10:00 p.m. (Central Daylight Time).

If you register but cannot attend the live session, you will still be able to watch all of Judy's lectures on the Zoom website afterwards. Recordings will remain active for ninety days, so you may watch them at leisure.

The remaining conference lectures, six digital recordings, will be added as soon as possible and registrants will be notified as soon as those recordings are posted. These will also remain available for viewing for ninety days from the date they are posted.

Registration Process

1. Registration for the live Judy Russell webinars AND all ten of the digital recordings is now open. The cost is the same as it was for the in-person conference: $55 for StLGS members and $65 for non-members. All of the information you need to register is on our website.

2. FOR ALL REGISTRANTS: You will receive an email with instructions a few days after you register. On Thursday, 16 April, you will receive an invitation, sent to the email address you provided at registration, to each of the four lectures. Please check your email inbox and/or your spam/junk mailbox to retrieve the messages.

3. LINKS TO SYLLABUS AND PRESENTATIONS: The email with instructions will also include a link to a page on the StLGS website that contains the complete syllabus, in two large files, including all of the handouts. These will be available as downloadable PDFs. You will need both files for all four of Judy's lectures: the morning file for Saturday and the afternoon file for Sunday.

4.  It is your choice as to whether you watch the lectures live or view the recordings. If you choose to watch live, remember that only the first 100 who sign into the Zoom website will be admitted. Use the link and password provided in the invitations to attend the webinars. If you choose to watch later, use the link on the instruction email to access the recordings.

Questions? Send an email to programs@stlgs.org and the vice-president for programs will get back to you. No one is currently in our office, so please do not call.

Q &A with Judy Russell

(Thanks to Laura Mackinson, our social media chairperson, for interviewing our featured speaker, Judy Russell in preparation for the FHC.)

Laura: When did you first realize you wanted to explore your family history?

Judy: When my oldest cousin's husband died, and I realized that not only had I lost my grandparents and my parents, but even my own generation was starting to fade. I'd been playing at genealogy before then, but at that point it became really important to me to do what I could to see that the stories weren't lost.

Laura: What's the best "Aha-moment" story you most love to tell?

Judy: Oh, there are so many . . . Choosing just one is hard! I guess if I had to pick one, it'd be the moment I realized that there weren't two men by the same name in 19th century Texas—my perfectly law-abiding, tax-paying, child-rearing second great grandfather and a thorough-going rascal by the same name. Nope, same guy. He's my favorite ancestor—and a total scoundrel.

Laura: When did you first see the important connection between understanding the intersection of historical laws and family history research?

Judy: From the first moment I looked at a court minute book from Burke County, North Carolina, and realized that even with my law degree I had no idea what the clerk was recording with certain abbreviations. There is almost no record we can think of that doesn't exist because of the law, or contain information required by the law, or that makes no sense at all unless we know the law. That intersection is critical all the way across the board.

Laura: What's the most frequent question (or topic) that people ask on your "Ask The Legal Genealogist" website?

Judy: It's pretty much a tie between copyright issues and DNA ethics. And that makes sense to me because they really stem from the same basic notion of doing what's right with respect to things (work products on one hand, DNA results on the other) that belong to other people.

Laura: What are you looking forward to at the StLGS Family History Conference?

Judy: This will sound corny but . . . getting to visit with old friends and meet new ones is the biggest reason why I do genealogical speaking. It makes it all fun.

Join StLGS For Our 1st Virtual Family History Conference!

(Thanks to Karen Goode, StLGS's vice-president for programs, for contributing to this week's blog post.)

St. Louis Genealogical Society has broken through our own brick wall––making virtual presentations! We have been in the planning stages for bringing meetings, classes, and other programs to our members for a couple of years. However, we were moving slowly and never actually got around to it. Well, that is all in the past because we finally have done it! A bit of silver lining in the current health crisis is that it has jolted us into action, and now, you will have the opportunity to see and hear Judy Russell’s presentations from the comfort of your home, no matter where you live. Plus, you will have access to all ten lectures online as digital recordings.

Presenting St. Louis Genealogical Society’s First

Virtual Family History Conference

Featuring Judy Russell, "the Legal Genealogist"

(Sponsored by George “Butch” and Carol Hilbert Welsch)

The conference will have two parts. First, you will have the opportunity to attend four live virtual presentations from Judy Russell! If you have heard any of Judy’s lectures, you know she is truly a gifted speaker.

Saturday, 18 April 2020
1:00 p.m. (Central Time): The Discriminating Genealogist: Telling Good Evidence From Bad
3:00 p.m. (Central Time): Living with Legal Lingo

Sunday, 19 April 2020
1:00 p.m. (Central Time): “Death by Undue Means"––Coroners’ Records
3:00 p.m. (Central Time): “Don’t Forget the Ladies”––A Genealogist’s Guide to Women and the Law

Each of these live presentations will include a question and answer time at the end. The presentations, along with the Q and A, will be recorded, so if you want to watch a presentation again, you can.

We are using Zoom, an internet platform, to host the live presentations and digital recordings. Zoom has a limit of 100 participants for each live talk and those spots will go to the first 100 registrants who sign in for each lecture. If you cannot attend the live session, you will still be able to watch all of Judy's lectures on the Zoom website afterwards. Recordings will remain active for ninety days, so you may watch them at leisure.

In addition to Judy Russell, the virtual Family History Conference will include recordings of all the  lectures that would have been part of our original conference. Unfortunately, because of the present quarantine due to COVID-19, some of our other speakers will not be able to provide their presentations at this time, but they will record them at a later date. We will post those recordings online when they are ready and give registrants ninety days to view them. We will keep you updated as we add their virtual presentations to the Zoom site.

Registration for the Conference

Registration for the live Judy Russell webinars AND all ten of the digital recordings is now open. The cost is the same as it was for the in-person conference: $55 for StLGS members and $65 for non-members. All of the information you need to register is on our website.

Once you have registered, you will receive an invitation to the FHC via the email address you provide. (Note: The email will come to you during the week before the live webinars.) Copies of the complete syllabus including all the handouts will be available to you as downloadable PDFs. Our volunteer staff has been hard at work making the process easy and user friendly.

If you have already registered for the conference, you do NOT need to register again. We have contacted all registrants via email, asking how you want to proceed. If you have not replied, please send a note to treasurer@stlgs.org indicating whether you want to attend the virtual conference and access the recordings or if you want a refund. We will not automatically refund registration fees without a request from the registrant.

Questions? Send an email to programs@stlgs.org and the vice-president for programs will get back to you. No one is currently in our office, so please do not call.