Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference 2017: Hotel Reservations Now Open

The Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference 2017 is already on our radar. The FGS has just announced two hotels open for reservations for the annual conference being held August 30th – September 2nd, 2017. Plan ahead – hotel accommodations fill up fast!
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Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference 2017

FGS has announced that hotel reservations are now open for the 2017 “Building Bridges to the Past” conference to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 30 – September 2, 2017. This fantastic genealogical conference will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

The Westin Convention Ceneter and the Omni William Penn Hotel are offering reduced rates to the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference 2017 attendees from Wednesday, August 23 to Friday, September 8 (subject to availability.) Both hotels are conveniently located near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Make your reservations today, as rooms fill up quickly. Hotel information is as follows:

Westin Convention Center (Main Conference Hotel,) 1000 Penn Ave., Pittsburg.

Omni William Penn Hotel, 530 William Penn Place, Pittsburg.

FGS 2016

Here’s what FGS looked like for us at Genealogy Gems.  We’d love to see you there next year.

 

Attend One of Lisa’s Upcoming Seminars in Texas

Attend Lisa’s upcoming seminars and Google your way to genius! Both the North Texas Genealogical Association and the Genealogy Friends of Plano host Lisa this month. She is presenting some fantastic, genealogy-packed lectures you won’t want to miss.

Lisa's Upcoming Lectures in Texas

Lisa’s Upcoming Seminar in Wichita Falls

The North Texas Genealogical Association is going big with their upcoming seminar on Saturday, September 10, 2016. Our own Google Guru, Lisa, is presenting the lectures for their fall workshop being held at the First United Methodist Church at 909 10th St. in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Lecture titles include:

  • “Google Tools and Procedures”
  • “Get the Scoop: Newspapers”
  • “Inner Private Eye: 9 Strategies”
  • “Google Earth for Genealogy”

The doors open at 9 am and the seminar will conclude at 3:30 pm. A light lunch will be included with the price of registration. Early registration has been extended through TODAY September 5th and the cost is $45.00. Registration after September 5th, and at the door, will be $55.00. You can download the registration form here.

Lisa’s Upcoming Seminar in Plano

The Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc. are also hosting a seminar this month with Lisa! Join attendees at the First Presbyterian Church Plano on 1500 Jupiter Rd. in Plano, Texas. This genealogy smorgasbord of lectures will be held on Saturday, September 17th.

Lecture titles include:

  • “Ultimate Google Search Strategies”
  • “How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers”
  • “Time Travel with Google Earth”
  • “How to Reopen and Work a Genealogical Cold Case”

Early registration before September 12th is $45 for members or $50 for non-members. If you miss the early registration deadline, you can still attend! Price of admission after September 12th and at the door will be $50.00 for both members and non-members.

For a schedule of the day and a registration form, click here. The Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries ask that you bring your own lunch, but they will provide lemonade, coffee, and tea.

Keep Up with All of Lisa’s Upcoming Lectures

BYU Family History conference 2015

Photo Credit: Ancestry Insider

She’s a jet setter folks! If you are like me, you want to stay up-to-date on where Lisa will be speaking and when you are lucky enough to have her in your area. See her entire seminar schedule here. Why not share the schedule with your genealogy buddies and meet for a fun weekend trip. Nothing beats a little genealogy with friends!

RootsTech 2017 Open for Registration

It’s that time of year again! RootsTech 2017 is officially open for registration.

RootsTech 2017

Each year, eager genealogists around the world excitedly wait to get the message that RootsTech registration is officially open. Well, here is your special announcement: As of September 15th, registration for RootsTech 2017 is now open!

What is RootsTech?

RootsTech is an annual family history and technology conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Speakers and attendees from all over the globe descend on the Salt Lake Valley to learn and share innovative and new tools in genealogy.

In 2016, the event attracted more than 28,000 attendees in-person from all 50 US states and 30+ countries. RootsTech 2017 will be held February 8–11 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The popular Innovator Summit and free Family Discovery Day are also open for registration. The website for registration can be found at RootsTech.org. Early bird pricing is $159.00, so don’t delay! Early bird discount pricing is available for a limited time on 4-day passes at just $159 and $189 for the RootsTech plus Innovator Summit pass. Passes for the Getting Started track start at $49 for a single day and $69 for a limited 3-day pass. All passes include access to the popular expo hall and morning keynote sessions.

The 4-day conference will offer over 200 lectures from top instructors in the field, including four of our Genealogy Gems team members, Lisa Louise Cooke, Sunny Morton, Amie Bowser Tennant, and Diahan Southard.

In addition to lectures, some hands-on computer labs and interactive activities can also be enjoyed.

Other Events at RootsTech 2017

RootsTech is for everyone, young and old. The expo hall and other entertainment events are just the beginning!

You and your entire family may enjoy Family Discovery Day. This event takes place on Saturday, February 11, 2017 and is designed for families and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a free and fun day event including messages from Church leaders, engaging classes for all ages, and evening entertainment. Family Discovery Day attendees will also have access to all the interactive activities and exhibitors in the RootsTech expo hall. Registration is required.

If you make it out to RootsTech in February, be sure to come by the booth and see us. As always, we have some really special things planned as we do a little celebrating of some of our Genealogy Gems milestones. Stay tuned!

Gems at RootsTech 2017

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How One Genealogist Used YouTube for Family History with Astonishing Results!

Here’s a gem of a success story about using YouTube for family history. This woman found footage of her daddy racing his 1959 El Camino.

youtube genealogy

One of my favorite places to teach classes is at the Southern California Genealogical Society’s annual Jamboree, where they know how to have a great time AND pack in top-notch family history learning.

Are Your Ancestors on YouTube?

Just before one of my sessions at the 2016 Jamboree, Robyn came up to me and introduced herself. Then she proceeded to accuse me of keeping her up all night!

It turns out that she had attended my class the day before on the subject of finding your family history on YouTube. The tips and examples I shared in that lecture came from chapter 14 of my book The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox, which is devoted to YouTube. The session inspired her to stay up late that night and try it herself.

finding old home movies on YouTube toolbox-book-youtube

It can seem so far-fetched buy medication canada legal when I first tell the audience that they might find amazing footage relating to their families on YouTube. But results don’t lie.

The Search on YouTube for Family History

Robyn reported a thrilling find! She searched YouTube for Cleves, Ohio:

cleves-oh-youtube-for-family-history

The Results

“Up came a video that was Edgewater sports park, which was where my father drag-raced when I was a little girl,” she said. “There was a picture of him racing his 1959 El Camino! It was so exciting!”

It was a black and white video. She sent it to her brother to share–and came back to my class the next day to report her success and see what else she could try.

Thanks for sharing, Robyn! Here’s the video:

More Ideas for using YouTube for Family History

Want more inspiration and ideas for using YouTube for family history? Click the image below to read about 6 fantastic ways to use YouTube for family history!

YouTube for family history

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