Conferences & Events

The San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society will present an all-day seminar, "Genealogy Now! Growing Your Family Tree," on 4 February 2012, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., at the Veterans Hall in San Luis Obispo, California.

Featuring nationally-acclaimed author and speaker Dr. Thomas W. Jones, phd, cg, cgl, this full day of outstanding presentations is designed to enhance your genealogical sleuthing skills and add a few branches to your family tree. "Genealogy Now!" will also feature the always-entertaining Ron Arons, Author of  Wanted! U.S. Criminal Records  and  The Jews of Sing-Sing, as well as English research expert Apryl Cox, ag.

The Charlotte County Genealogical Society, Inc., of Port Charlotte, Florida, is having a day-long seminar “Genealogical Gold” presented by internationally known speaker, researcher, and consultant Paula Stuart-Warren, cg, fmgs, fuga. 

Topics include A Baker’s Dozen: Easy Ways to Begin Writing Your Family History, Genealogical Goldmine: The Records of Old Settlers Organizations, Finding Ancestral Places of Origin, and
Organizing Your Genealogical Materials.

Are you overwhelmed with the number of online resources for genealogical research? Are you constantly working with unorganized bookmarks or favorites? Do you print out lists of websites you use most? Learn to build a research toolbox that is organized, easy-to-use and can be accessed from almost anywhere. We’ll also cover some Google tools. You’ll leave this session with new ways to advance your genealogy research.

Thomas MacEntee is a professional genealogist specializing in the use of technology and social media to improve genealogy research and as a way to connect with others in the family history community.

Watch as the mystery of genealogy blogs vanishes before your very eyes. Learn what they are and how to read them to find genealogy research leads. See how easy it is to create a blog in less than five minutes. You'll leave this session with a list of great genealogy blogs and tips on how to best use the information found in them.

Thomas MacEntee is a professional genealogist specializing in the use of technology and social media to improve genealogy research and as a way to connect with others in the family history community.

On Saturday, 25 February 2012 from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. the Whittier Area Genealogical Society (WAGS) will present its 29th annual seminar at the Masonic Lodge, 7604 Greenleaf Avenue, Whittier, California. 

The seminar will feature George G. Morgan, president of Aha! Seminars, Inc. and author of many genealogy books published by Ancestry as well as his award winning book "How To Do Everything With Your Genealogy" published by McGraw-Hill/Osborne which will be available at the seminar. 

Imperial Polk Genealogical Society's 2012 Seminar is scheduled for March 3, 2012 at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Speaker for the seminar is George K. Schweitzer. Topics include Migration Routes and Obscure Genealogical Sources.

Geoffrey Rasmussen will present four lectures to be held at the Central Denver Public Library. Topics include: Mapping Your Ancestors Electronically, Timelines and Chronologies, Sharing Your Genealogy, and Using Your Genealogy Computer Program More Effectively.

He will also speak on Friday evening, March 16, from 7-9 pm at the regular CGS meeting. The Friday evening meeting is free and open to the public. There is a $30 materials fee per person for the all-day seminar.

Registration - 8:30a.m. Seminar Begins - 9:00a.m. Seminar Ends - 4:00p.m.
Location of Seminar: Stan Fulton ultonulton Building, UNLV Campus, 801 E. Flamingo Rd. Free Parking. For directions call 895-1807 or check http://sfbevents.unlv.edu/contact/directions.shtml

Seminar Registration (Lunch Included): $40 (CCNGS Members Received no later 18 February 2012)
$50 (Non-CCNGS & CCNGS Members After 18 February 2012).

Registration Details: CCNGS@CLEAR.NET or http://www.lvrj.com/communitylink/ccngs/ or http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nvccngs

Michiana Genealogy Fair 2012, Saturday March 17, at the downtown Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library, Misawaka, Indiana. Featured speaker Mr. Mark Middleton, Information Systems Professional, speaking at 10:30 a.m. on Scanning Photographs: the standards, best practices and equipment and at 1:30 p.m. on The Latest in Computer Technology for your Geneaogical Research. Some 30 vendors and societies attending for research assistance.

The Conference will be held Friday and Saturday, March 23rd and 24th 2012 at the Marriott Fair Oaks, 11787 Lee Jackson Highway, Fairfax, Virginia. A pre-conference lecture will be held Thursday evening, March 22nd at the Kilmer Middle School 8100 Wolf Trap Road, Vienna, Virginia. 
 
The Conference will cover beginning to advanced level topics in eight lecture series including, National Treasure in the Nation’s Capital, African-American Research, Advanced Critical Thinking Techniques, Anytime’s a Good Time to Get Started, Effective Organizational Methods, Seeking Virginia Ancestors, Re-examining What You Already Have, and Introduction to European Research. The speakers include some of the top genealogical speakers in the nation today, including: Char McCargo Bah; Claire Bettag, ; Richard Camaur, cg; Dear MYRTLE; Tom Jones, cg; Phyllis Legare; Barbara Vines Little, cg; Chuck Mason, cg; Pam Sayre, cg; and Rick Sayre, cg.

JCC of Indianapolis, 6701 Hoover Road, Indianapolis from 2 to 4 p.m.

Looking to find your Jewish ancestors? Join Judi Silverman as she shares the sources and websites that can help you on your journey. Learn tips for using census records, passenger arrival records and more to discover the kinds of clues to look for when researching your Jewish roots.
 
Silverman, an active member of the Indianapolis Jewish community, has been researching her Jewish family history for over 15 years."

The Alabama Genealogical Society Spring Seminar will be Saturday March 31, 2012, 8:30 a.m.- 3:15 p.m. at Samford University, Brock Forum Auditorium, Birmingham, AL. The speaker is Linda Woodward Geiger and the title of the program is, Data Mining The Records. The lecture topics will be: 1. U.S. Territorial Papers, 1789-1873, 2. More Than Land Descriptions: Treasures Among the Deeds, 3. Using Tax Lists to Solve Genealogical Problems, 4. Estate Records: More Than Just Wills.

Fees: $40.00 for non-members and $35.00 for members.Lunch is on your own. The Samford cafeteria and a Food Court are located next door in the Beeson University Center building.

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society is excited to host guest speaker George G. Morgan at its 21st annual Spring Seminar on 31 March 2012. George will present four sessions: Bring Them Back to Life: Developing an Ancestor Profile; Push and Pull: The Reasons for Migration; Sidestep Genealogy; and The Genealogist as CSI.  9:00 a.m.-3:45 p.m., Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, 11427 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, California. 

British Isles to America and Migrating West, will be presented by Leland Meitzler and William Dollarhide, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Chula Vista Golf Course, 4475 Bonita Rd., Bonita, California.

Topics include : The Main Migration groups from the British Isles to America prior to the Revolutionary War: The Puritans, The Cavaliers, The Quakers, and The Palatines, The Scots-Irish Invasion of America, Migration Routes of Our Ancestors, and
Newspaper Research in the 21st Century

Catered lunch and refreshments $35 prior to 20 March $40. afterwards.

Rocky Mount, North Carolina: The North Carolina Genealogical Society, the Braswell Memorial Library, and the Tar River Connections Genealogical Society will present Genealogy Done Right featuring Thomas W. Jones, phd, cg, cgl, fasg, fuga, fngs.

Are you sure the family records you have gathered are accurate?  Are you concerned that your facts are built on solid foundations?  On Saturday, 31 March you will have the opportunity to learn the right way to do your genealogical research.  Additionally, Dr. Jones will be providing his audience with many case studies and research tips to give you security in your conclusions. 

The Akron-Summit County Public Library’s Special Collections Division will present the free program "Photography for the Family Historian" on Saturday, March 31, 2012 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium at 60 South High Street, Akron, Ohio 44326.

Join us to learn about identifying, dating and preserving your family photographs, sharing them with others, and whether film or digital photography is best for you.  Our presenter is Diane VanSkiver Gagel, ma, a professional researcher and lecturer, past president of the Ohio Genealogical Society, and author of several genealogy and photography books.  Books will be available for purchase. 

Learning the 1940 Census-April 14
Day Classrooms, History Center
10 a.m. to noon
 
It is an exciting year for genealogists with the 1940 Census being released to the public. The release means more information to help put family histories together and another Census form to learn to research. This workshop will take you through the 1940 Census and show you all the new features and tricks to get the most out of your research.
 
Presenter Allison DePrey is a collections assistant for reference services at the William H. Smith Memorial Library at the Indiana Historical Society. She recently graduated from Indiana University with master's degrees in public history and library science. As a native of Allen County, she has been focused much of her life on the study of genealogy and archives.

The Wisconsin State Genealogical Society's 2012 Gene-A-Rama Conference will be held at the Hyatt Hotel and KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Friday and Saturday, April 27-28. The featured speaker will be Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers and High Definition Genealogy who will be delivering lectures on using social media and technology in genealogy, as well as researching Wisconsin ancestors "Behind the Cheese Curtain." Other speakers will be covering topics including how to extract information from obituaries, genealogy for kids, how to apply for a WSGS Civil War Ancestor Certificate, and revealing the hidden resources on the WSGS website.

German Genealogy Spring Seminar, Ohio Chapter Palatines to America & Franklin County Genealogical    & Historical Society presents "Names, Places & Things" on Saturday, April 28, 2012, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Columbus Metropolitan Library, 96 South Grant Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43215.

Fee including box lunch is $40; special for members $35; Students $20. Topics include Basic German Research, Family Search Programs, Digital Archiving, Resources at the Ohio History Society Archives, Researching Germans to Russia, Early Migration Trails, and more.

“The Ohio River: Gateway to the Western Frontier”
Cincinnati, Ohio, 9–12 May 2012

The East Cuyahoga County Genealogical Society (ECCGS) is pleased to announce an All-Day Seminar with acclaimed genealogist Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak. The event will be held on Saturday, 19 May 2012, at the Educational Service Center of Cuyahoga County, Valley View, Ohio (Cleveland) from 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. You can find more information about Megan on her website: http://www.honoringourancestors.com.

Stark County District Library, 715 Market Ave North, Canton, Ohio; 19 May 2012, 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Speaker: Ernest Thode
Session 10:00 a.m.: Beginning Your German Research
Session 11:15 a.m.: German Migration to America
12:15 p.m. - Questions and Answers

Title-German Research: Methodology and Technology
Speakers; Warren Bittner and Michael John Neill
Tour of the Athenaeum, formerly Das Deutsche Haus
At Marriott East and adjoining LaQuinta Inn.

"Where Do You Think You Find It? I N D I A N A P O L I S !" on July 20 and 21, 2012 Pre-conference activities July 19

Speakers include Dick Eastman, Shamele Jordon, J. Mark Lowe, Dan Poffenberger, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, D. Joshua Taylor, Patricia Van Skaik, Curt Witcher and more.

The pre-conference activities include a workshop for librarians and volunteers who work with genealogy sources, computer labs, writing workshops, bus tours and other research opportunities. The day concludes with the program, Adventures Behind the Scenes.

Join us for the free program "Discovering Your Civil War Ancestors" Saturday, August 11 from 9:30-4:30 in the Akron-Summit County Public Library Auditorium at 60 South High Street, Akron, Ohio. Presenters will be local researcher and reenactor John P. Gurnish and Certified Genealogist Amy Johnson Crow. Presentation topics: Summit County in the Civil War, Researching Ohio Civil War Ancestors, For Benefit of the Soldier: Civil War Fraternal Organizations, Researching Your Civil War Ancestors Online, and State and Local Records for Civil War Research. Free parking in the High-Market deck. To sign-up or for more information, visit the event website.