Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Rousing Meeting Held February 4th

If you missed our February morning meeting yesterday, and not many locals did, you missed out on some great fun and new information! I guess everyone had had enough of being cooped up by bad weather, not to mention anticipating an interesting program "Beyond Ancestry" by Debra Dudek. The mild and clear weather (and Debra) brought out 49 attendees!

Those attending were not disappointed either! Debra demonstrated some excellent, and mostly free, online resources for genealogy research. Along the way, she managed to keep us laughing as well; a much needed activity after what has been a long and arduous winter.

For those few locals who couldn't come and for our out-of-area members, here are a few of Debra's favorites. Check them out for yourselves, if you haven't already. I'm sure you'll be pleased.
Mocavo - this is a genealogy specific search engine, Census Finder - be sure to go down to the state and county levels for some unexpected links, Chronicling America and American Memory.

Great program! Thanks to Debra. Pleasant weather! Thanks mother nature. Great attendance! Thanks to all who came.

~ Becky

Educational Opportunities from NGS


If you're interested in increasing your knowledge of the how-to of genealogy, you might want to consider this new course for NGS or one of the other options available. I  did the American Genealogy - A Basic Course back in 2003 and found it invaluable.

News Release from National Genealogical Society:

NGS proudly announces the release of its newest American Genealogical Studies course, Guide to Documentation and Source Citation. This course joins The Basics in the series of online courses developed by NGS to help those interested infinding their family.

In this three-module self-paced course, Michael Grant Hait Jr., cgSM, helps genealogists with one of the most confusing areas of genealogy research, “how do I cite my family information?” Knowing where we located our family information and keeping accurate notes, or citations, is the backbone of reliable genealogy. The course modules consist of lessons, examples, citations, and graded quizzes and cover topics on “Introduction to Documentation,” “Basic Citation Principles,” and “Applying Citation Principles.”

This NGS American Genealogical Studies course, Guide to Documentation and Source Citation, is available for $30.00 for members and $45.00 for non-members. For further information, to view the syllabus, or to purchase the course, visit the NGS website at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/guide_documentation_sourcecitation.

Guide to Documentation and Source Citation joins The Basics in the NGS’s online cloud-based learning management system. To take advantage of this system, you will need either a computer or tablet with an Internet connection.

NGS also offers several courses available in downloadable PDF files compatible for a PC or MAC. The courses are designed for both the beginner and the established genealogist to help busy individuals learn about a specific topic and to put the ensuing knowledge to work quickly. These courses include:
·         Using Federal Population Census Schedules in Genealogical Research
·         Introduction to Civil War Research
·         Genetic Genealogy, The Basics
·         Introduction to Religious Records
·         Working with Deeds

~ Becky Higgins