RootsTech 2013 -- Day 2

After two days of RootsTech, I'm actually glad I won't be able to attend tomorrow. This has been a disappointing conference. I'm just glad I registered early (like last October) and didn't pay full price.
I naively thought that the focus of this conference would be on the intersection of genealogy and technology. Unfortunately, many of the sessions I've attended in the last two days haven't met that definition. In one session today, the only mention of "technology" was "do a Google search." Really? That same presenter made the statement that WorldCat identifies ALL locations for EVERY book available in the US. Really?
The "workshop" I attended yesterday that was supposed to teach me something about CSS was a total bust. Half the people left before the session was half over. We were in a computer lab, but never had cause to touch the computers!
Luckily, today's workshop on metadata was much better. The only real flaw was that it (and other "workshops") were scheduled for a single hour. What were they thinking? Workshops that involve hands-on learning require at least two hours.
I was also deeply frustrated in the Exhibition Hall today. After speaking with people in the GenealogyWallCharts.com booth late yesterday, I prepared a Gedcom file and put it on a jump drive to get my free fan chart. I took my jump drive to them at lunchtime today and was told it had to be uploaded from the computers at the Family History Library Mini-Lab. One of their yellow-shirted employees accompanied me to the mini-lab, only to end up in a shouting match with 4 or 5 FHL representatives. I was left to figure out how to upload the file on my own, which I thought I accomplished. I went back to the GenealogyWallCharts.com booth to see if they'd gotten the file and was told they couldn't check for it, come back later. So I returned an hour later and was told it was too soon; they were backlogged by several hours. So I went back at the end of the day (about 4:30) and learned that they had NOT received my file and couldn't do anything until tomorrow. Since we're leaving first thing in the morning, I can't go back and try again. Talk about frustrating!
I spent some time speaking with several other vendors in the exhibition hall and enjoyed meeting the folks at Map the Past and Photo Face Match, as well as Curt Witcher at the FGS booth.
I've got two other complaints about this conference:
--There are very few classes for intermediate or advanced genealogists. For most of the time slots in the first two days, there was only ONE session marked "intermediate"; but tomorrow there are 3 in the first session and 5 in the 3rd session [zero in the 2nd session]. Who the heck planned this?
--What's with all the emphasis on storytelling and what does that have to do with the interface between genealogy and technology?
Quite frankly, if I'd know that a third of the classes would be on storytelling and less than 10% would be designed for intermediates, I never would have even considered attending RootsTech 2013. I certainly won't waste my money on this conference again!

RootsTech 2013--Day One

Day One at RootsTech 2013 dawned very early. 80 Geneabloggers were invited to tour the exhibit hall at 7:30 AM--3 hours before it opened to the public. Amazingly, I was there, as these photos attest.

 

 

The three keynote addresses this morning were all amazing. Interestingly to me, they all seemed to focus on broadending family history beyond the facts to the STORIES of our ancestors. Personally, I love it!

In the exhibit hall there are lots of opportunities to record and share stories and photos/books/documents. And about a zillion vendors of all sorts of stuff beyond just the usual genealogy books, gizmos and databases. I hope to explore some of these booths more later in the day, when the crowds thin out.

The big minus here is that there is NO free wifi in the convention hall. How ridiculous is that? I raced to the "internet cafe" sponsored by FamilySearch where you can connect to their ethernet. It's now full, so glad I got here first.

Off to RootsTech 2013

   After two months of playing snowbirds in the Arizona desert, we're off to SLC for RootsTech 2013. This will be my first RootsTech conference and I'm anxious to see how it compares to the NGS and FGS meetings I've attended in the past.
   I have to admit that I was a little disappointed in both of the other national conferences I attended. They seem to just recycle the same presenters making the same presentations they've been making for years. Neither conference energized me, though I did pick up a few good research ideas at each of them.
   I'm signed up for two workshops and several geneabloggers events [though for some reason my names wasn't on Thomas MacEntee's list he posted on Facebook today]. I'm looking forward to meeting "Dear Myrtle" and Randy Seaver, both of whose blogs I read every day without fail. Maybe I got dropped for not posting to my blog in six months?
   I was pleased to receive an email this evening asking me to download some specific software for one of my workshops. I already have 3 of the 4 programs on my laptop, but am intrigued by the 4th program. It apparently helps you geocode your photos--music to this geographer's ears!

SLC Research Trip

I wrote several weeks ago about a planned trip to Salt Lake City. This is my post-trip follow up...only a week late.

My cousin Linda and I drove to Salt Lake City from Seattle on September 3rd, dropping my husband off in Baker City, OR, to volunteer at the Sumpter Valley Railroad. We stayed at the Plaza hotel, right next door to the Family History Library. We had made a similar trip two years ago and stayed about 1.5 miles from the library; my cousin didn't care for that location. The Plaza had a $99/night special while we were there, so it wasn't a bad deal. No free breakfast and a room rather than a suite, but it worked out OK. And it was nice to be able to walk back to the hotel and put our feet up at lunchtime.

We basically had 4-1/2 days of research time at the Family History Library. Most days we were in the library from about 8:30 AM until 7:30-8:00 PM, with a half hour off for lunch. Both of us had prepared notes on specific items we wanted to find at the library, but mine were much less extensive than for previous visits.

Tuesday morning I dove right into my research on the QUIGG family. I searched Dauphin Co., PA books for marriages, births, deaths, and burials. Didn't find much. Went downstairs to the microfilm area and found the will I needed, then continued to search the probate, orphan court, and deed records for more information. I was quite pleased to find records proving that "John Quigg" who died in 1824 was, in fact, the person we had listed as "Patrick Quigg," husband of Elizabeth Dasher and father of John Wesley Quigg, who settled in Hickory County, MO. Nice to have success the first day at the library.

Unfortunately, when I went to check out a Quigg family history book on the first floor, I was met with empty shelves. Most of the family histories toward the end of the alphabet (Q-Z, but there are a few R books remaining) were removed from the shelves for scanning several months ago. However, since the scanning program is currently on hold, the books have not been returned in a timely manner. In fact, it's not clear if they ever will be returned. And nobody at the library seemed to know when they might be available in either paper or digital form. Very frustrating. Surely FamilySearch could let people know that these important resources aren't available, don't you think?

On Wednesday I worked on my BROOKSHIRE line, proving that my William Brookshire's wife was, in fact, Sarah VARNELL, from deeds related to her father's estate in Sevier Co., TN. Unfortunately, I still can't find any definitive records linking William to his father (supposedly Joseph, "a gentleman from Virginia") or earlier generations.

On Thursday I decided to work up an example for my presentation on Elizabeth Shown Mills' FAN Principle next month. I thought I could track Henry Collins' wifes' family, Levi FEASTER and Margaret REED, and find Henry's parents. No such luck. I spent 11+ hours and ended up with nothing. Aargh. Not a good day. That was also the day that my cousin's laptop died. Not a good day at all, though I was able to get her laptop working again late that night.

Friday and Saturday are a blur. I've got pages of notes and scanned pages to review and make sense out of. Unfortunately, I've got too many other commitments to spend time on them.

We split the return trip up, driving as far as Baker City on Saturday afternoon/evening (arrived at the motel at about 8:30 PM) and then to Seattle on Sunday. Made for a much more relaxing trip. We even took time to stop at a quilt shop in Kimberly, ID, and had a wonderful breakfast at the Geyser Grand in Baker City on Sunday morning.

Other than the frustration of not having access to many of the family histories, it was a good trip. It was also a bit less expensive than in past years, since I scanned virtually everything to my thumb drive. I only printed about 5 pages in 5 days---that's gotta be a record! The only reason I printed those pages was so that I could scribble notes on them. Love those scanners!

I figured out that I looked at 40 or more roles of microfilm and at least as many books, not to mention using the FHL computer databases and CDs. Ordering 40 rolls of microfilm to use at my local Family History Center would cost me $300 at current prices and would take months to work through. Making a pilgrimage to Salt Lake City was definitely worth it.

There was one other frustration. I had hoped to speak with FamilySearch staff involved in record scanning to help with specifications for the Seattle Genealogical Society's scanning project. However, I got a total run-around, shifted from one office to another. Unfortunately, the volunteer staff at the FHL don't even know what offices are there, let alone which ones are located outside of the library.

Remembering 9-11

Eleven years ago today, my husband and I were about halfway through our first genealogy road trip. We had driven to Montana to search for my great-great-grandfather's 1910 homestead near Galata, between Shelby and Havre. September 10th we had walked over the land, explored the boarded up schoolhouse nearby, and learned that his stepson had homesteaded just across the road. Eureka! Another family to research and follow.
September 10th we stayed overnight in Great Falls, MT and awoke to a nightmare. I flipped on the TV to the TODAY show while my husband was in the shower and sat there, transfixed and horrified, as I witnessed vicariously the nightmare of 911.
We watched the horror unfold through breakfast at the motel, then headed to Fort Benton to follow the path of the step-family. When I entered the County Recorder's office in the courthouse, the staff was watching a small television. I stood and watched as the nightmare kept unfolding. News of the downed plane in Shanksville, PA was frightening, as I knew my boss was flying through Pittsburgh to DC that morning. I stood and watched until learning that the plane hadn't originated in Pittsburgh, then proceeded to dig through the records. The staff was more than happy to let me loose in their vault while they continued to watch the news coverage.
That entire day we kept veering off our planned itinerary to try to keep up with the news. We ended up cutting our trip short and heading home to Seattle early. It's lucky we did, as both our kids were near panic stage, wondering where we were. They knew we were traveling, but had forgotten where and how we were getting there. It was definitely time for a cellphone!
We now drive through Montana almost every year on our way to/from visiting our daughter in Minneapolis and are reminded of that trip 11 years ago. It's one we'll never forget.

Preparing for a trip to SLC

Yippee!
I'm heading to Salt Lake City for 4.5 days of uninterrupted research time.
Unfortunately, I haven't had any time to plan for this trip and we're leaving in one week. Yikes!
My normal SLC preparation requires weeks of deciding which specific questions I want to research and then poring over the Family History Library catalog for appropriate resources to answer those questions.
I create one large Word file that contains a numbered list (ranked by priority) of specific research questions, each question followed by resources cut and pasted from the FHL catalog. The catalog entries appear in blue in my Word document; entries for books that have not been microfilmed I change to red, since the ONLY place where I can access them is the FHL and I want to make sure I check them out.
Actually, I do know that my major goal for this trip will be to collect information and documents for a talk I'm giving in mid-October on the FAN [friends/family, acquaintances, neighbors] approach to family history research. I need some good, solid examples to use in this talk.
So, for the next week I'll be madly working through my family files searching for appropriate ancestors to use as examples and pulling up census records. Somehow I almost always end up focusing on dear old Robert Henry Collins, my most frustrating ancestor. I collected quite a lot of information on many of his shirt-tail relatives in Idaho back in June (through the 40+ newspaper articles I obtained), but I still need vital records, deeds, wills, etc. I'm hoping old R H Collins will show up in some of their records.
Wish me luck!

Courthouses

I have to admit that I absolutely LOVE courthouses. On our recent trip home from Minnesota, we detoured to Davenport, WA to check out the Lincoln County Courthouse. Isn't it gorgeous?
I don't have any known relatives in this area, so didn't go inside to check out their records as I often do. But I do also love the insides of courthouses. In my experience, the older the building, the more likely the staff is to let you go into the vault and browse their old record books--a favority pasttime.

Davenport, WA