Genealogy Center Tour Redux

Another tour of the Genealogy Center has been scheduled for Sunday, April 25, 2010, 1 to 2 PM in the Genealogy Center. The interest in the Genealogy Center Tour on March 14th, part of March Madness Genealogy Style, was so high that we had to limit the number of participants, and had to turn away a number of people. So here’s your chance! Space is still limited, so call 260-421-1225 or email Genealogy@ACPL.Info right away to register.

2010 Census

Today is the Day of the Census! No, it is not an April Fool’s joke. When you receive your Census form, all the questions asked are based on the status of your household today, April 1, 2010. The U.S. Census has been taken every 10 years since 1790 to ensure fair representation, taxation and fund allocation for our communities. As genealogists, the Census helps us determine the locality our ancestor lived, members of the household and their relationships, ages, marital status, birthplaces, immigration patterns, occupations, military service, and much more. When we receive our 2010 Census, we should take the time and complete our forms, so our future generations will be able to discover us on the 2010 Census.

IGS Seminar

by Dawne

It’s not too late to get your “early bird” registration in for the upcoming Indiana Genealogical Society annual seminar! Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 10, 2010 at the Allen County Public Library. IGS members pay only $30 in advance of the seminar and non-members pay $35. At the door, the fee will be $40.

The two-track seminar program, “Charting Our Course,” is a bargain at any price. The featured speaker is Dick Eastman, nationally known genealogy-technology guru, who will present four one-hour sessions:

• Genealogy Searches on Google
• Blogging for Genealogists
• Conservation: Keeping up with Technology
• Grandpa in Your Pocket: Portable Gadgets for Genealogists

The second track of the program will showcase two lectures on immigration records, as well as a session on two digital initiatives of the Allen County Public Library, Our Military Heritage and WeRelate, and a presentation on the popular topic Photo Restoration Using Photoshop. These sessions will be presented by knowledgeable speakers Ron Darrah of Indianapolis, and the Genealogy Center’s Melissa Shimkus, Curt Witcher and Kay Spears.

Conference attendees can take advantage of Extended Hours in ACPL’s Genealogy Center the evening before the seminar, Friday, April 9. The Genealogy Center will remain open that evening (for conference attendees only!) from the library’s regular closing time of 6 p.m. until midnight.

In addition, a pre-conference program on Friday, April 9, at the library will feature four sessions on preservation – at the personal level, at the local society level, at the county level, and at the archive level. Pre-registration for these sessions is FREE! to anyone who belongs to one of IGS’s chapters, and only $5 for anyone else! Admission will be $7 the day of the event.

More information, the link for online seminar registration, and printable registration forms are at the IGS website.

Genealogy Center Tour

Registration filled quickly for the Genealogy Center Tour during our March Madness event! If you were not able to secure a spot and are interested in a tour, please contact the Genealogy Center. We are planning to offer another tour in the near future and will notify you when the date has been set.

Call 260-421-1225 or email Genealogy@ACPL.Info to register.

Spend Time With Your Irish Ancestors

Time is running out! The Irish & Scots-Irish Genealogy: Part Two: A Two Day Mini-Course is just around the corner. March 19 & 20, Steve Myers will continue the series, explaining Irish probate, deed, estate records, the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and British military service, and how the records can further your research. Registration is limited for the course. To learn more about the program or register, please view the brochure.

African American Webinar

Tony Burroughs, FUGA, author of Black Roots: A Beginner’s Guide to Tracing the African American Family Tree, is presenting Avoid Traps in African American Genealogy as an Online Seminar via Ancestry.com on March 11 at 8pm (EST). Tony Burroughs is an internationally known speaker on genealogy research and methodology, who plans to discuss the pitfalls genealogists should avoid when searching for your ancestors. The webinar is free, but you must register.

You can learn more about Tony Burroughs at his website.

March Madness

As winter winds down (we hope that’s happening by mid‑March!), the
Genealogy Center is ready to help you “rev up your research” with
March Madness, Genealogy Style. Running the week of March 14th to March 20th, we are hosting a week of daily events to prepare you for a summer’s worth of research. Daily events:

• Genealogy Center Tour on Sunday, March 14, 2010, from 1:00‑2:00 PM Registration Full
• How To Use the Genealogy Center Basics on Monday, March 15, 2010, from 2:00‑3:00 PM
• Using Periodicals at the Genealogy Center on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, from 2:00‑3:00 PM
• Writing Your Family History: A Primer on Wednesday, March 17, 2010, from 10:00‑11:00 AM
• Using Footnote.com on Thursday, March 18, 2010, from 10:00‑11:00 AM
• Irish & Scots‑Irish Genealogy: Part 2, A Two Day Mini‑Course on Friday & Saturday, March 19 & 20, 2010, from 9:00 AM‑4:00 PM

Call 260-421-1225 or email Genealogy@ACPL.Info to register.

Excitement on the Air

Genealogy is a fascinating topic that has grown in popularity over the last decade. 2010 is the year that is making genealogy a mainstream event for television viewers and we all can participate.

March 3rd (8 pm EST) is the final episode of “Faces of America” on PBS. If you have missed an episode of this wonderful series, you needn’t worry. You can watch episodes at PBS video.

March 5th (8 pm EST) debuts “Who Do You Think You Are?” on NBC. You can view sneak peeks of the show, which will feature such stars as Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Spike Lee, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, and Emmitt Smith. Ancestry.com has a Spread the Word campaign, where you can learn more about the show.

Can’t you feel the excitement in the air as genealogy hits the mainstream media?

Indiana Genealogical Society 2010 Conference

by Dawne

We seasoned genealogists remember what it was like to search the census index volumes and then go to the microfilm to look at the census images. REALLY seasoned genealogists remember what it was like BEFORE there were printed census indexes. Researchers today jump online, type in a name, and Voila! There is the nicely digitized census image right on the computer screen. When did you first start using a computer in your genealogical research?

Dick Eastman, founder of Eastman’s Online Genealogical Newsletter, had a head start on most of us. In the computer field by occupation, he began entering his family information on punch cards using a mainframe computer back in the early 1970s!

Eastman will draw on his nearly 40 years of experience in genealogical computing when he is the featured speaker at the Indiana Genealogical Society’s annual seminar at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne on April 10. His topics will be:

• Genealogy Searches on Google
• Blogging for Genealogists
• Conservation: Keeping Up with Technology
• Grandpa in Your Pocket: Portable Gadgets for Genealogists

The two-track seminar also will feature the following topics:

• Our Golden Door: Introduction to Immigration, by Ron Darrah
• Voyages at Your Fingertips: Online Immigration Records, by Melissa Shimkus
• “Our Military Heritage” & WeRelate: Two Digital Initiatives of the ACPL Genealogy Center, by Curt Witcher
• Photo Restoration Using Adobe Photoshop, by Kay Spears

Festivities begin the evening of April 9, when the Genealogy Center of ACPL will be open extended hours from 6 p.m. to midnight for conference attendees. Registration and exhibit browsing will begin at 9 a.m. April 10. Sessions will be from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with lunch on your own and a 1 p.m. Society of Civil War Families of Indiana Induction Ceremony and IGS annual business meeting.

Advance registration for the seminar is $30 for IGS members and $35 for non-members. Registration at the door will be $40. Online registration is available at the IGS website.

“Who Do You Think You Are?” The Series

Another British television phenomenon has made its way to the United States. Who Do You Think You Are? is premiering on NBC on Friday March 5, at 8 PM (7 PM Central and Mountain Time). This popular show profiles politicians, media stars and other celebrities’ family history, illustrating the common struggles that all of our ancestors faced. The first episodes will feature Lisa Kudrow, Susan Sarandon and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Ancestry.com has a Spread the Word campaign, where you can learn more about the show.

This may be the biggest genealogy related prime-time event since Roots was published and aired as a mini-series in the 1970s. Be sure to watch the next big television hit!