Presented from a non-genetic genealogist point of view, this presentation explains in a fun and visual way how to choose a test, a company, what to do while waiting for the report, and how to maximize the report results. Whether deciding who to contact, how to use the research within the DNA report, or just how to link our trees to our DNA results, this session will be helpful. Besides spending time reviewing the report, the potential use of raw data is introduced with a visual step-by-step procedure for uploading raw data to other sites.
Brick Wall Busting Strategies: Hammering at the Wall
This is a fun presentation with strategies, sources and a variety of documents that just might hammer down that frustrating brick wall. Examples of brick walls broken down are demonstrated by using vital records, military records, census, prison, land records, newspapers, passenger manifests, and divorce records including a complicated story tracking a woman whose name changed 3 times in public records.
Choosing a Second Chance
The Mistake
I’m a big believer in choosing second chances…or more. Being a slightly (or, more truthfully, extremely) stubborn person, I sometimes seem to insist on making a mistake more times than I can count. Then it takes me some time to actually figure out that my choice IS a mistake. Sometimes it takes eons before I begin to comprehend the relationship between my choices and the consequences of these choices.
Blogging feels a lot like that to me. I began naively and enthusiastically blogging. Shortly thereafter my professional year became overabundantly over-filled with clients and committees, Pro-Gen and gen assignments, conferences and community responsibilities. My blog quickly attained the unenviable status on my to-do list as the very last thing I thought of before falling comatose into my bed at night.
I literally chose every single day to put my blog last. The benefit of this mistake? I realized that I missed it, and I wanted a second chance. So, I choose to begin again.
The Choice to Choose
2018 used to be a new year in January, but since it is nearly April, and the year is ¼ through, we could probably agree that 2018 is not actually new any longer. But for my choice to blog again, it is a new year, month and day.
My choice is made, and I will continue (after the one blog I published) to blog about the back stories of genealogists within the genealogy community. I will also continue to blog about the impact of my strange family (after the one published blog) experiences and what used to be referred to as juvenile literature and is now called “young adult” lit. Yes, it is my favorite genre to this day…even at my mature age.
So, here’s to choosing my second chance to blog again…and choosing to enjoy my own voice and views. The twenty-five loyal friends I have that actually read it–be warned! It’s coming!
Join me, won’t you? C’mon, it’ll be fun!
Fort Worth Genealogical Society
“Forgotten Treasures in the Texas Courthouse”
Fort Worth Public Library
500 W. 3rd Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Erath County Genealogical Society
“Searching Newspapers: Tips, Tricks, Sites and Context”
Dublin Public Library
206 W. Blackjack Street
Dublin, TX 76446
