NGS Recap

Randy Seaver was lamenting (on Facebook) the lack of posts last week during the NGS conference. I really didn't have a chance to post much. I was using my iPad to access the Internet although I had the laptop with me also. The only time I pulled it out was when I was giving my presentation on Wednesday. That went well, by the way.

Favorite sessions that I attended:

• "Hell on the Home Front: War-Time Damages and the Claims They Generated" by Elizabeth Shown Mills
• "North Carolina Research" by Jeff Haines
• "Shootout at the Rhododendron Lodge: Reconstructing Life-Changing Events" by Judy Russell
• "DNA and the Golden Rule: The Law and Ethics of Genetic Genealogy" by Judy Russell
• "Working with Documents: The Importance of Context in Record Analysis" by Barbara Vines Little
• "South Carolina Research" by Jeff Haines

Socially this conference was a bit different than most. Usually genealogists tend to congregate in the lobby near the bar area in the evenings. Not this time! I think we were spread out over too many hotels for this to work. As a result, it was hard to make connections with people, and you saw a lot less of people than you often did. One person joked that we were just all getting too old.

Food: We tried several local restaurants. The worst food and service award goes to the Hilton Garden Inn's restaurant. On that evening, we had a group of seven. We were the only people in the restaurant, and they couldn't seem to get the orders right and the food was horrible. I ordered crab cakes. They were quite dry. They didn't give you remoulade sauce or anything to cut that dryness. The worst part was that part of the crab shell was in my crab cake. I probably left more than I ate. It was pretty much inedible. Another person had a burger which he had ordered medium rare. It was way past well done. It had taken so long to get the food we got that he didn't dare send it back. The waitress had forgotten to take my "side" order which was supposed to accompany my meal so I had to wait on that after I got the crab cakes. On the good side, my side order of fries was actually hot as opposed the ones the others had gotten. The Best Food award goes to a place we found through Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. It was called "Dot's Back Inn." Burgers are their specialty. I had the one with the jerk seasonings, provolone cheese, and grilled onions. I think it was called the "Rasta." Jeff had the Greek one that had feta and tzatziki sauce. We both thought ours were great. We knew that they had a lot of burgers. We wished we'd tried it earlier because when we got there, we discovered that they had a menu of things on a hand-written board that were daily features. For example, there was a Moroccan-spiced swordfish with cilantro sauce. The fish of the day was shark that day. They had a shrimp and andouille sausage dish served on a bed of cheese grits that sounded quite yummy. They had blackened mahi and much more. They were also quite reasonably priced with most dishes being under $15. If we had not eaten at Mama J's (a soul food place near the convention center that was also quite good) at lunch, we might have tried one of the bigger meals instead of the burger that night. One of the highlights was a donut run we made with friends one evening. They were in search of a maple bacon donut at The Sugar Shack. They were out of that flavor, but we tried the Baby Ruth donut which was absolutely wonderful.

Exhibits: I didn't spend a lot of time in the exhibit hall except for my shift at the APG booth. It was small and crowded. I did manage to walk by most booths, but I just didn't spend money this time. My bank account thanks me although that is a bit odd for me not to purchase a little more than I did.

Hotel: The staff at the Marriott where I stayed was great. The valets who parked our cars were very service-oriented, making it a good experience every time I needed to get my car out.

All in all, it was a great conference!

FGS 2010 Recap

I'd love to provide you with a nice long recap of the FGS Conference in Knoxville, but I expect that I would put most of you to sleep if you heard my recap. My duties as audiovisual chair kept me putting a lot of miles on my feet during the course of the conference. I was able to spend a little over four hours on Tuesday at the McClung Collection of the East Tennessee History Center, providing expert assistance for researchers. During "Focus on Societies" Day, I presented Organizing Your Society's Library and Archives. During the main part of the conference, I presented Appalachian Resources of the Appalachian College Association and Alabama Ancestral Sources. I was honored to have the author of one of the resources I mentioned as a general source in attendance at that last session. It was fun to meet a few genealogists that I only knew through Facebook, and it was fun spending time with so many that I only see once or twice each year. Everyone seemed to enjoy the restaurants on Market Square. I don't know if it still holds true, but I know that at one time Knoxville was said to have the most restaurants per capita. I think several of them were enjoyed by conference participants. It was exciting to have so many people enjoying this area. Participants also really seemed to enjoy the outing to the Museum of Appalachia. There was plenty of time to network while enjoying music and Appalachian heritage and culture. It will take my feet a couple of weeks to recover, but the conference was a huge success, so I guess the foot pain was worth it. I'm now back at work so I can get a little rest!

FGS & PMC Early Registration Deadlines Extended

The early registration deadline for the 2010 FGS Conference in Knoxville and for APG's Professional Management Conference (PMC) have been extended until June 21, 2010 at midnight. Please register today!

East Tennessee Regional Preservation Conference

In today's mail, I got a brochure for a local conference that looks quite interesting. It's called "East Tennessee Regional Preservation Conference 2009." This year's theme is "The Peaceful Side of Preservation." For those of you who don't know it, this is a play on an advertising campaign that the region around Townsend in Blount County and Wears Valley in Sevierville have. In that campaign, they advertise that they are the "Peaceful Side of the Smokies." It appears that Knox Heritage is the main sponsor for the conference. Registration for the two day event which will be held September 18-19, 2009 at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend is only $30 and includes a full year's membership in the East Tennessee Preservation Association. I'm quite excited about Friday's presentation on the town of Jonesborough. This is Tennessee's oldest town, and they've done a good job there in making that area come alive through preservation of both buildings and traditions such as storytelling. Saturday afternoon there is a workshop called "An Archaeological Perspective on Historic Cemetery Studies" which should be very interesting as well. These are just a couple of the sessions offered. The $30 for the conference and membership seems like a real bargain! (By the way, the student rate is $20.)

FGS Conference Press Release

Only a month left till genealogists descend on Little Rock!

In just a month, genealogists from all over the United States and beyond will be getting together in Little Rock for four full days of learning more about genealogy, finding cousins, seeing how much is online, seeing how much is not online, figuring out how to get the most out of records, determining what archives or libraries have the answers, helping your genealogy society, and spending some money in the large Exhibit Hall. Don’t let this event pass you by. The Arkansas Genealogical Society is the host for this event which is the annual conference of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. You will be hearing about this event for years to come and will feel sad if you weren’t a part of it.

Syllabus
The syllabus consists of most of the lecture handouts and each registrant receives it on CD at the Conference. If you wish to receive a paper copy of the syllabus in addition to the syllabus on CD you must order it no later than August 1st. It will also be online before the conference but some prefer to have the full paper copy at the conference. Just order it online at www.FGSConference.org when you register for the conference. If you have already registered, go back to the registration page and add the paper syllabus for $20.00 using the PIN number you received when you registered.

Door prizes
Many of the vendors in the Exhibit Hall will be giving away conference door prizes. Each registrant will receive 20 door prize tickets with your conference name tag and syllabus CD at the registration booth. The ticket will ask for your name, mailing and e-mail addresses and phone number. Bring along some of those address labels you have sitting around or print some up before you leave home to save some writing. Each participating vendor will have a black box labeled for door prizes. Each attendee chooses which door prize box to drop their tickets in depending on the door prize being given. Some will have more than one door prize drawing during the three Exhibit Hall days. The names of the winners will be posted on a bulletin board in the Exhibit Hall. If you are a winner, all you need to do to claim your prize is to revisit the specific vendor’s booth.

Conference sessions to be recorded
Many of the conference sessions will be audio recorded and available for purchase on CD. Listings of those sessions being recorded will be available at the conference. Jamb-Inc. will be doing the recording and will have a booth where you can make your on-site purchases. The CDs will also be available after the conference from Jamb-Inc. but mailing fees will be charged.

Last minute Conference Information
Be sure to read the Conference News Blog during August and even during Conference Week to learn last minute details, reminders, suggested things to bring along, types of clothing to wear, and detail on special items. www.fgsconferenceblog.org. Some exciting special announcements will be made in the next couple of weeks on the blog!

See you at the conference.

Save Money and Register for FGS Before July 1

It once seemed to be in the distant future. The countdown clock has been ticking. The Federation of Genealogical Societies and Arkansas Genealogical Society Conference "Passages through Time" will be here in just over two months!

July 1st is the very last day to register at a discount for this conference and save big on a full conference registration. It is only $175.00 if you register by then. Divide that amount by four full days of conference activities with all those lectures to choose from and it is a educational bargain. If you register after that date, it will cost $50.00 more.

Go to www.fgsconference.org and register online with the easy to follow directions. If you print the registration form and mail it in, be sure it is postmarked on or before July 1, 2009. If you are registering online you may do that using your Visa, Master Card, or Discover charge card. The system does not accept debit cards.

Of course, registrations will be accepted after July 1 but the discount will be gone. Register now and join other family historians, professional genealogists, librarians, archivists, and writers from Arkansas and states all over the country at this genealogical, educational, and networking bonanza.

For the latest on conference happenings, tourism, transportation, and many other items, visit the Conference News Blog at www.fgsconferenceblog.org.

Four Days of Genealogy Know-How

Actually 4.25 days if you count the activities on the day before one of the genealogy extravaganzas of 2009. The Federation of Genealogical Societies and its local host, the Arkansas Genealogical Society, invite you and your readers to beautiful Little Rock this September 2-5 for this Conference for the Nation’s Genealogists. Previous host cities have been Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Fort Wayne, and Orlando. Almost 200 lectures, workshops and other presentations await your inquiring mind. What else will you find at such a conference? Many of the countries top researchers, speakers, vendors, archivists, librarians, editors and others in the field of genealogy will be converging on Little Rock eager to share their genealogical knowledge and experience. The conference theme is “Passages through Time” and you will come away with the energy and knowledge to take you through time to research your ancestry with up-to-date techniques, records, and databases.

Register by July 1, 2009 and save $50.00 off the full conference registration. Your full conference registration provides entrance to all lectures during the full four days except for a few with an extra fee. Hear speakers from all around the United States. Ask them questions, learn from your fellow genealogists, figure out ways to find Grandma Griffin’s marriage record, purchase books, CDs, software, maps, databases, memberships, and come away with a renewed energy that can only be found at such a conference. Learn about military, land, school, tax, county, court, probate and other record types. Learn ways to get around brick-wall research. You will receive tickets that enables you to participate in door prize drawings. A conference tote bag and a CD containing the handouts from 99% of the lectures is also yours. If you wish this material in paper form, that is available for a low fee.

Registrants to date are coming from all over the U.S. and some from Canada. This conference has topics for everyone no matter how long you have been doing genealogy. Wednedays’ Networking Luncheon will have some tables designated for specific discussion topics including genealogy bloggers, Arkansas research, military research, Tennessee research and others.

For more details visit www.fgsconference.org and keep up-to-date on conference news, tips, previews, and more at www.fgsconferenceblog.org. See you in September! Be a part of the more than a thousand registrants who will be attending.

Brief Conference Report

I went to the Sevier County Conference today. As bad weather was predicted, I opted to stay in a hotel in Sevierville on Friday night. The turn-out was small this year because of the weather. I was told that more were present for Friday's sessions. The snow, which had been predicted to start earlier, actually began about 8 a.m. It mainly just blew and blew and blew but didn't stick.

There was supposed to have been an archivists' roundtable. I really don't know what that was going to be, but the archivists who were supposed to be there didn't show up, so Mark did a shortened version of his "My Ancestor, the Farmer" presentation. He remembered that I'd always wanted to hear him do that presentation but that for some reason that my presentation at a conference gets scheduled at the same time as his (when it's on the program) so I've always missed it. That was a nice "bonus" treat for the few who stayed that late.

Sevier County Genealogy Conference is Coming Up Soon

The Sevier County Genealogy Conference is March 7 & 8. Featured speakers include Steve Cotham of the McClung Historical Collection in Knoxville, Cherel Henderson of East Tennessee Historical Society, entertainer Whistlin' Bob Brittle, and nationally-known speaker J. Mark Lowe. A PDF registration form and a conference brochure are also available.

Conference Advice

I love genealogical conferences. The national conference that I attend most often is National Genealogical Society's Conference in the States. The main reason for this is because it usually works with my college professor's schedule best. The conferences usually begin on Wednesday and run through Saturday. There are preconferences available on Tuesday. During each time slot, attendees have a choice of about seven or eight presentations. Over the years, I've learned which speakers I really enjoy hearing and which are a "waste of time."

Now I offer some Advice for Conference Attendees:


If at all possible, stay in the hotel attached to the convention center. [In Pittsburgh, the distance between the hotel where I stayed at the convention center certainly seemed much further than advertised.]

Update: This looks like something I'd enjoy doing.

Do your research on food ahead of time or ask the locals. [I ate best in Nashville where I was most familiar with the location having lived there at one time and having attended many conferences at that convention center. I also ate well in Boston where I'd spent a lot of time ahead of the conference researching what was available and good.]

Take breaks when you need them. [Just because there is a session offered five or six times a day doesn't mean you have to attend them all. I usually pick a session to attend each time slot but if I am getting tired, I try to decide which upcoming session I'm least excited about attending and skip it.]

If you plan to spend a lot of time in the exhibit hall, take an extra suitcase with you. [You'll need it to lug back all of those purchases you just can't live without.]

Volunteer. [It's a great way to meet others. I usually volunteer for the Association of Professional Genealogists' booth. It also keeps me away (at least for an hour or two) from the exhibits where I spend more money than I need to spend!]

Meet your neighbors. [When you go into a session, strike up a conversation with the person next to you. You might just find you are cousins. I've actually done this a couple of times. I've also met persons with whom I've corresponded and persons who reside near me.]

Plan your day the night before. [You'll be less stressed if you make some decisions about what you intend to attend the night before. If you are attending with friends and are both having trouble deciding which sessions to attend, plan together. You may be able to cover two sessions that you are both interested in attending at the same time slot. You can then compare notes that evening.]

The BCG Skillbuilding Track is always good. [If you are having trouble making a selection from the choices at a time slot, you'll never go wrong by selecting this one.]

If you plan to do research at a local facility, remember everyone else is doing the same thing. [In Richmond, the Library of Virginia limited microfilm machine use to one hour at a time. If the facility is open evening hours during the week, it will be crowded. You won't get nearly as much research done as you plan with a packed house. You'll get more accomplished at a research facility a little more distant from the conference site before or after conference than you will at one near the location.]

Be a tourist. [Find what the city has to offer and visit some interesting things. I just touched a tip of what's available in Boston last fall, but I certainly have a much better idea of some things I want to see when I head back to Boston for a library conference next summer. I plan to spend part of each day researching and part of each day sightseeing.]

If you didn't enjoy a speaker on one topic, you might still enjoy them on others. [At the very first national conference I attended, I heard one speaker that really seemed to know very little about her topic as far as I was concerned. I decided that I'd never attend another session by this person. Then at a conference a couple of years later, I heard some people talking about what a wonderful presentation they'd just attended. It turned out this was the same speaker on a different topic. I tried her session on that topic at another conference later and decided that I might try other presentations by her. I made three presentations at FGS in Boston. The first session went poorly by my estimation. My computer had overheated. I had to call a friend to bring her computer so I could do my session. I had a lot to cover. I was feeling rushed and was a little nervous (even though I teach classes five days a week). I sped through my presentation. The other two went much better in my estimation. I was more relaxed and was able to engage the listener more because I was relaxed. By the way, I don't recommend purchasing the recordings of these sessions from Lulu.com because two rely heavily on captured screen shots, and the other was more or less a demonstration of using a couple of software packages. This third one was one where I filled in at almost the last minute. The session had been advertised, and the presenter was unable to attend. I now wonder if my experience with the presenter who wasn't very knowledgeable on a topic might have been a result of having been called upon late to fill in for something that wasn't in her area of expertise.]

Association of Christian Librarians

On Saturday (the 9th), we flew into Grand Rapids. After attending church on Sunday morning, I spent most of the rest of the day in metings. Monday was my "tourist" day until the conference began that evening. We went to Holland to visit the Dutch Village and to Holland State Park so that we could see the lighthouse. The conference's opening reception was held at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. Tuesday night was "trivia night," and I was fortunate enough to be part of the winning team. We got to wear stickers on our name badges the rest of the week to designate us as the champs. Wednesday night was networking night. At first I tried to join the "travel" group, but when we decided to travel to the local ice cream establishment, we discovered we had all flown and no one had a car available. I ended up joining the "knitting" group. However, no one was knitting, and it ended up being an all craft group. I did take a photo of the photography group at one point. I don't want to comment on specific workshops and sessions attended in this message but will save it for a later post. I will post a few photos soon!

Sevier County Genealogy Conference - March 9 & 10

SEVIER COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY System HISTORY CENTER to hold 4th Annual GENEALOGY CONFERENCE:
“COLLECTING AND PRESERVING OUR MOUNTAIN HERITAGE”
The Sevier County Public Library System and the Sevier County Office on Aging & Fort Sanders Sevier County Senior Center invite you to attend the 4th Annual Sevier County Genealogy Conference on March 9th and 10th at the Fort Sanders Sevier County Senior Center at 1220 West Main Street in Sevierville. The conference will begin at noon on Friday, March 9th and conclude at 4:30 pm the following day.

Featured speakers include: Anita Finger, an experienced researcher for the Eastern Band of Cherokee; Cherel Henderson, Director of the East Tennessee Historical Society; J. Mark Lowe, CG, a full-time professional family history instructor; Annette Hartigan, Great Smoky Mountain National Park Librarian; and Dr. George Schweitzer, Alumni Distinguished Professor at the University of Tennessee.

Conference sessions include the following: The Territory South of the French Broad; Wonder What’s Over the Mountain; Finding My Way Home Again; What the National Park Library Offers; Over the Mountain, Across the Plains; Balancing on North Carolina; Using that Brick Wall as a Foundation; and Cherokee Research.

Also included in the conference fee is a storytelling dinner on the Friday evening of the conference. Dr. Schweitzer will be the featured presenter for the storytelling dinner which will begin at 6:00 pm. on Friday, March 9, 2007.

Conference fees are $45.00 per person for both days; early-bird registration, which runs through March 1st, is $40.00. Registration forms and schedules for the conference are available at any of the Sevier County Public Library System facilities and online at http://www.sevierlibrary.org. For additional information, please call (865)908-7988 or email Theresa Williams, SCPLS Genealogy Manager, at twilliams@sevierlibrary or Tim Fisher, SCPLS Genealogist, at tfisher@sevierlibrary.org.