We are so blessed

Rootstech App

If you are going to Rootstech this year you really need to get the Rootstech app. Go to the store on your phone or ipad and search for Rootstech. This years app is pink. The app has so many things to offer your conference experience. On the app, you can figure out which sessions you want to attend. Check out who will be in the expo hall and decide which ones you want to visit. Check out the speakers they have coming this year. The handouts for the classes are found on the app, and you have the ability to download them while you have a good internet connection. If you don't want to do that, but want to take notes on the handout you can do that too. You can also create general notes on this app which are not connected to a class. You can keep all of your Rootstech information all in one place. This is a great app to explore and have for this week of learning. Play with the app before you head out to the Salt Palace Feb 8-11. Have fun exploring the app to see what it can do for you!

Join the Find A Grave community

If you have not joined the Find A Grave community, you might think about becoming a member. It is absolutely free to join and you gain so many benefits. One of the main benefits to Find A Grave is people going out to find the gravestones of your ancestors. There are many cemeteries that I might want to visit, but will never get the chance to. It is amazing to know that we have options that many other genealogist never had. This is not the only benefit of Find A Grave. This community is very willing to help the fellow genealogist.

There has been many different occasions where this community has helped me beyond the picture of the gravestone. Here is just one example:

I received an email from a Find A Grave member questioning whether the individual I had added to a cemetery actually was buried there. I went back to the death certificate to see where they said she was buried. I emailed them back with the information that was on the death certificate and asked for clarification about whether or not there could possibly mean a different cemetery in their area. Information came back to me about the cemetery. It was a civil war cemetery and has been left to nature and is very overgrown. The last interment that the individual knew about was about 3 years before my relative said they were buried there. The map at the library did not have any information about them being buried in this cemetery either. Instead of just leaving it at that, this individual asked for the birth and death information and parents of this individual to help me find them. They emailed me back several times with information they had found about the person. They found a gravestone for the father years ago that was not in great shape, but had put that on the website. When she was searching for information about this family she found that the son had gotten a military headstone for his father in this cemetery. The gravestone they found was not this military headstone, so they have determined that they are going to continue the search for these two headstones. The mystery has not been solved, but they are working on it. This Find A Grave member has gone up and beyond the call of duty, and I am going to benefit from their amazing work.

Because of all the help that I have received from the Find A Grave community, I try very hard to be a great community member back. Some things you might want to think about as you fulfill requests from people would be to...

1. Check gravestones around the one they requested to see if there might be others with the same surname. There have been times that babies can be found near parents that individuals seeking this information did not know about.
2. Share as much information with others as you can - obituaries or pictures can add details to the individual that other might not have.
3. Be willing to dig or research the reason as to why you might not be able to find the gravestone they are seeking. Be as thorough as possible and then write back to the individual seeking this information with what you have found. Don't leave them to find the problem only to wonder what is happening.

This is one community inside of family history that I have enjoyed because people have been so kind to me. They have helped me overcome problems in my family tree that without them, I would still be stuck. Thank you to the Find A Grave community for the great help you are to each other. This truly is an incredible group of individuals.

Give back!

These discoveries were made possible because someone took the time to do some indexing. FamilySearch is now asking for help with foreign languages - they have 20 times more searchable records in English than all the other languages combined. Help those around the world find their records. The family history library in Salt Lake City, is making Spanish indexing training available for anyone who wants to learn how. You do not have to speak Spanish in order to help, just learn about the records and what to look for. For online help check out this website: http://ldschurch1.adobeconnect.com/fhl-indexing if you are not comfortable with doing indexing in a different language, there are many other databases to choose from. Let's get involved in giving back to the community who helps us in our research.

Which Presidents did your Ancestors Survive?

Presidents come and go, it is the American way. Have you ever thought about which presidents led the country while your ancestors were alive. Who did your ancestor's vote for? How did they feel about them? You might be able to catch a glimpse of what your ancestors thought through voting registers. Voter information is not just good for knowing who one might have voted for, but there could be a lot more discoveries to be made. In voter registrations you might be given information like; name, place of birth, age, street address, length of residence, native or naturalized, information about their naturalization, party affiliation, physical characteristics, and more. These records can be a gold mine for hints to other larger documents. Each state and county hold their records differently, but there are voting registers availabe. Check Ancestry and FamilySearch to see what they have.

Make Gathering Your History a Priority

As a genealogist, looking backwardss is very easy. The journey back through the history of an ancestors life brings about an interesting story. It is amazing how many details can be found about our ancestors in all the records we research. Even with all the records one finds, we will never know exactly what their life was like, unless they left their own account behind.

This cycle can continue through the generations after us, unless we take a stand and work on our own history. Many times we are so concerned about searching backwards that we forget that we are not putting for the effort needed for ourselves. As I have researched my ancestors, I have realized some of the things which I wished were included in their histories. Think about what you would like to know about your ancestors, and try to leave that behind for your descendants. Here are a few things I came up with:

1. Journals: you can choose to write your journal online or on paper. If you are going to type your journal, you might think about leaving your descendants a little bit of your own handwriting. A connection can be made between you and your ancestors by seeing their own personal handwriting.
2. Share the good times in your life, but also share the hard times. Our lives have ups and downs and so will your descendants. You can help them through their lives by sharing how you were able to make through some of your hard times.
3. Write about historical events and how they affected your life. A large example would be 9/11. Let your descendants know how you felt on this day and how you felt it changed America. You can also tell about things that happen in your state, city, or neighborhood. This adds unique details to your history, which will create a picture of what your entire life was like.
4. Recognize moments in your life to share. Make it a priority to put something together after a trip or event in your life. If you wait too long, it becomes hard to sit down and remember your experiences. You forget things, and too much has happened since that you feel you have to put together.
5. Don't just write your history. Remember to share photos of you and your life. When you share a picture online or in books remember to identify who is in the photo. You might even consider putting information about the event and the date the photo was taken. If these things are not connected with that photo, things will be lost.
6. Include others in your history. You might think about bringing your family together to talk about a certian event in your life. As you are together, you might think about recording it. You will find that your siblings will have different views about the event. Even with all the different perspectives, it will be in your own voice, and your descendants will be able to listen to all involved. 
7. While you have time, remember to interview your grandparents and parents. They know about people you don't know. They can also share about their lives, and fill you in parts of your own life which you don't remember.

The main point is to share your life with those that are here and those who will come after you are gone. Remember that we have a chance to leave something great for our descendants, but sometimes it feels like an impossible task. You don't have to write your history all at one time, nor do you have to use only one method. This is something we all need to work on, so together we can make this task happen. Join us this year in our efforts to collect our own history. Watch as we give tips, tricks, questions, and ways to do this work. Together we can find ways to get better at putting our history together.

It's right around the corner

 Come join the genealogy community for four packed days of amazing classes, great people, and lots of learning. The great thing about this conference is you don't have to be a genealogist to fit into this community. Come, ready to visit with people from all over the United States and the world. Pick from over 200 classes that will fit the level you are currently at. Check out the expo hall to see what new things will be coming this year in family history. If you can't make it, you will not be left out - Rootstech will stream some of their classes for your enjoyment. For more information about this conference visit their website: www.rootstech.org

https://rt2017.smarteventscloud.com/portal/newreg.ww

I was not alive when Martin Luther King Jr gave his "I have a dream speach." Nor did I live through the riots, peaceful demonstrations; the fight for equality for all. This however, doesn't mean that I can't learn from this man who gave his all to a cause he thought just. He led a nonviolent movement to achieve what seemed an impossible goal; equality for everyone regardless of color or creed. He used powerful words which have transcended time. One quote from Martin Luther King Jr which to me describes who he was is, "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." Thank you for the words and example you left with all of us. 

https://rt2017.smarteventscloud.com/portal/newreg.ww

Fun Family History Items From BYU

I went looking for what BYU had to offer the public in regards to family history. While looking I ran across the BYU family history technology lab. These are computer science students who are using their field to create things for family history.  Here are a few of the apps that I liked:

1. Geneopardy - this uses your FamilySearch account and comes up with jeapardy questions. I played myself to see what it would be like. This was so much fun for me to play, and would be even more to include my entire family. Check it out and have a great family history game night.
2. Virtual Pedigree - Navigate the tree in a whole new way. New clues to places to research in your family. This was fun to learn about.
3. Pedigree Pie - Use a fun way to see what countries your family comes from. 

These are not the only things that can be found on this site. Go to the website to find out all they have to offer. Use their fun apps to help spread the joy of family history to your families.