was held on Saturday February 27, 2010
Thank you to the 285 Attendees, the Speakers, the Vendors,
and all of the volunteers that helped to make it happen.
Hilton Garden Inn
St. Charles, Illinois
Suggested topics for various groups are:
| Time | Title/Speaker | Presentation |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM | Registration Browsing in the Vendor Area Beverages and snacks will be available for purchase in the morning. |
|
| 9:00 AM (1A) |
Naturalization Records, Colonial Times to Early Twentieth Century John Philip Colletta |
This lecture explains the U.S. naturalization process and describes the records that resulted from it. It addresses colonial laws, then focuses more heavily on the federal laws that began in 1790. It considers the naturalization of both alien "classes" and individuals, and provides guidance on how to find an ancestor's record, whether the naturalization occurred in a municipal, state or federal court. Pertinent research tools such as Internet web sites, manuals, indexes and catalogs are covered. |
| 9:00 AM (1B) |
The Research Cycle - Don't Pedal Backwards Elissa Scalise Powell |
Research is not just collecting data. Do your homework! A case study exemplifies how, by observing standards of research and analysis, one can be successful in breaking down brick walls.
Standards for citing sources, proof, evidence evaluation and note taking will be addressed as given in The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual. Many people begin with the 5th step "search and collect data," resulting in brick walls due to not having done enough "homework." A case study is presented to show exactly how to surpass a brick wall by utilizing these steps:
1. Analysis of the current state of the problem
2. Create hypothesis or define a question
3. Identify all sources for the data
4. Design plan for accessing and examining
5. Search and collect the data
6. Analysis and evaluation of results
7. Hypothesis conclusion which brings the cycle back to no. 1
Also discussed are: Source, information, evidence types (original, derivative, primary, secondary, direct, indirect).
|
| 9:00 AM (1C) |
Beginning Swedish Genealogy Kathy Meade |
Want to trace your Swedish roots but don't know where to begin? You don't know where your Swedish ancestor came from! Your ancestor changed his name! This presentation on will present steps and tips on how to begin your Swedish research and to overcome these obstacles. The presentation will include an overview of Swedish American church records, emigration and passenger ship indexes, Swedish church records, tax and probate registers and additional sources plus presenting both the key archives and online sites for Swedish research. |
Break | ||
| 10:30 AM (2A) |
Discovering Your Ancestors' World through Maps and Gazetteers John Philip Colletta |
The facts you discover about your ancestors did not occur in outer space! They happened in a physical place at a particular time. Maps, therefore, are essential for "grounding" all your genealogical finds. They depict a lot more than where places are (or were) located. This lecture explores the wonderful world of maps, including: political, topographical, land, fire insurance, railroad, bird's-eye view, and still other kinds. Using specific examples, the lecture demonstrates how to make use of the wealth of data that maps provide. They may be used to further your research, solve problems, suggest other resources, or enhance the facts you have already uncovered. Maps allow you to perceive the events of your ancestors' lives within the real physical world in which they "took place." - And they are great, great fun, besides! |
| 10:30 AM (2B) |
The Dreaded Research Report Elissa Scalise Powell |
There is no need to dread this part of the research process if you learn these simple techniques and standards. Tips and real examples will be shared to illustrate how writing your findings drives the research process.
Many people enjoy collecting data on their family and even putting it into lineage-linked software programs, but few relish writing their findings in a collated narrative or report in order to share them. This lecture will try to take the pain out of that process by demonstrating that writing is actually part of the research process and drives future research questions. Appropriate compilation standards and report types as mentioned in The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual will be illustrated.
|
| 10:30 AM (2C) |
Swedish Genealogy in a Computer World Kathy Meade |
This lecture will familiarize you with the many electronic resources that are available for
Swedish research. This class will present an overview of the CDs and online resources
(both free sites and subscription sites) that can help you overcome the brick wall in your
research. These electronic resources will include Swedish research guides, emigration information, military records, Swedish census records, church records, tax registers and message boards. Learn how some of these tools can help you discover the parish in Sweden where your ancestor came from and guide you in tracing your family history.
|
| 11:45 AM | Luncheon served upstairs Your choice of: Served with a Fresh Fruit Plate with Berry Yogurt Sauce and Chocolate Cake with Rasberry Mousse then Time to visit the Vendors
|
|
| 1:30 PM (3A) |
Passenger Arrival Records: Advanced Problem Solving John Philip Colletta |
This lecture assumes that the audience already has a knowledge of the basic sources and strategies for finding an immigrant ancestor's ship; it focuses on the more challenging cases. Using specific examples, it demonstrates how to resolve a variety of issues that may hinder success involving the name of the passenger, the date of arrival, name of ship, port of arrival, missing manifests, port of departure, and other issues. Internet websites and other helpful tools are explained. |
| 1:30 PM (3B) |
Twenty Years of Stuff: Now What Do I Do? Elissa Scalise Powell |
Have piles of documents, photographs, and artifacts? Organization, preservation of what is essential, and publication of the family history will be discussed as well as consideration of the collection's final disposal.
Whether a researcher has been collecting information for a long time or has suddenly had someone else's research thrust upon them, they will need to:
1.) Organize it
2.) Decide what is valuable and what isn't
3.) Make it available to others through some type of publication process
4.) Provide for the collection's survival.
This lecture will encourage organization (both paper and computer) and preservation of the materials; analysis and writing the family history using standard numbering systems including NGSQ and the Register systems. Evidence analysis and source citations will be discussed as will the use of computer programs as tools for organization and writing. Discussion also includes the use of artifacts and photographs in the family history and a genealogical will or codicil for the disposal of both the material and paper collections.
|
| 1:30 PM (3C) |
Marriages - More than Just a Date Jeffrey A. Bockman |
Reviews a wide variety of physical and online marriage records; other records that can identify a spouse or help to narrow down the marriage date range, along with a case study of a couple that traveled to New Orleans to get married.
|
Break | ||
| 3:00 PM (4A) |
Discovering the Real Stories of Your Immigrant Ancestors John Philip Colletta |
Feature films and made-for-TV movies portray the immigrant experience as though it were the same for every one of the millions of English, Irish, Italians, Germans, Jews, and others who came to America. Not so! Every immigrant's story is unique. To understand the drama of your own ancestor's story -- including his or her personality and character and motives -- you must investigate: 1) leaving the homeland; 2) the voyage; 3) arriving in America; 4) impact of the immigrant on American society; and 5) impact of American society on the immigrant. Using three different case studies, this lecture explains the original records and published sources available to discover the particular facts of your own ancestor's story. It discusses how to evaluate those facts and assemble them into a story that conveys both the drama and individuality of your ancestor's emigration/immigration experience. |
| 3:00 PM (4B) |
Get Paid for Your Passion: Becoming a Professional Genealogist Elissa Scalise Powell |
Many genealogists, hooked on the thrill of the chase, would like to know more about what it takes to become a professional and get paid for their passion. This lecture explores psychological, educational, and physical requirements for achieving that goal. Since many businesses fail within one to three years, tips are provided to help the attendee evaluate whether this is for him/her and what it takes to be successful. You love the thrill of research and think it would be heaven to be paid too. Learn what you need to consider before and during your transition to becoming a professional. |
| 3:00 PM (4C) |
Can't Find It in the Index? Jeffrey A. Bockman |
If you didn't find it in the index it only means that you didn't find it in the index. Looks at a variety of examples from compiled and online indexes including Census, Court, and various other sources. Online newspaper sites will be looked at extensively. |
He is the author of Give Your Family A Gift That Money Can't Buy, a book that encourages people to record and preserve their family's history. His website is at www.JeffBockman.com.
John Philip Colletta, Ph.D., is a nationally known speaker with a well-deserved reputation for warmth, wit, and a great sense of humor. He teaches at the National Archives, Smithsonian Institution and universities in the Washington, D.C., area. He also lectures nationally and is a faculty member of the IGHR at Samford University and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. His publications include: They Came in Ships, Finding Italian Roots and Only a Few Bones.
Kathy Meade, is the U.S. representative for Genline AB, a company that offers online access to the original Swedish Church Records from the 16th century to the 20th century. Besides working for Genline, she volunteers at the Swedish American Museum in Chicago and assists patrons in researching their Swedish heritage. Meade has a degree in History from the University of San Francisco
Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, a Western Pennsylvania researcher and the Professional Genealogy Course Coordinator at IGHR; BCG Trustee and Booth Coordinator, an instructor at SLIG, and in Boston University's Certificate in Genealogical Research program. She was an APG Director, past-president of two societies, and coeditor of cemetery recording books. She also appeared on Ancestors 2 in the cemetery episode.