Last Year's Resolutions

At the final workshop session in 2017 we made a list of resolutions for the coming year. Since we did not name any of the participants, there is no guilt attached to those who didn't follow through. Were you able to keep your resolution? Perhaps we can just resume working on the ideas from the past!

Here are members' 2017 resolutions:


1. Get a family tree from a cousin and work on mother's line.
2. Research maternal lines on both sides.
3. Learn more about a g.grandmother from Scotland.
4. Get my documentation updated.
5. Start working on research in Ireland.
6. Develop a family website.
7. Learn about an English grandparent.
8. Attend genealogy meetings!
9. Get organized!
10. Plan to work on genealogy every other Monday.
11. Work on cousins and related families.
12. Locate an uncle's poetry book supposedly written after the war.
13. Find death records and grave sites in Sweden.
14. Find marriage record of mom and dad in Mexico.
15. Continue research on g.g.grandparents.
16. Contact archives in Lithuania.

Happy Holidays!

December 18 Workshop

We took a look at various pedigrees for Santa Claus, and noted an appearance in the 1930 census and a Missouri death record. Seems that he's all over the place.

We also reviewed the search procedure for narrowing to a particular type of record on FamilySearch. This is another way to save time during your research sessions. We demonstrated using the catalog for place names and showed the various ways FamilySearch produces records.Church records in Norway can be found on another website, church records from Germany can be read through an LDS church membership, Swiss records can be viewed at a Family History Center, and English records could be browsed on your home computer.

December 11 Workshop

Jan O'Donnell presented the mini-topic for this week's workshop. She began with:

What in the World?

Can you guess how that sentence ended? Ask her next time you see her at a meeting...

The title of the presentation was "What in the World" which was a bit of a mystery. During Bob and Jan's visit to the Family History Library this fall she asked for help in researching in England. She (and the volunteers) were excited to learn that one of her ancestors was Wat Tyler. Wat was the leader of a peasant uprising during the rule of the 11-year-old King Richard. He was a hero for nine days before being beheaded.

Jan O'Donnell

Two genealogy lessons: always ask for help and be ready for surprises!

Thanks, Jan, for sharing your success story.

Craft Fair Volunteers

Several members assisted Bone-Apart in introducing our club to Palm Creek residents at this week's craft fair. Thanks to Sandy, Lynell, Bob, Nancy, Susan, Delrene, Karen and Annie for making time to volunteer.

Delrene and Sandy

Karen and Bob

Susan and Nancy

December 4 Workshop

The mini topic was the story of a recent research project for a friend demonstrating how to locate and analyze census and vital records. Solving the ancestor mystery created a second mystery!

One of our new members shared a valuable resource and his story of successful research in Slovakia. If you happen to have ancestors from the Czech Republic, Slovakia or that general area, visit Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International at www.cgsi.org and take a look at the website. In the left menu you will find a link to professional researchers and you can read their bios and decide whether to hire someone to research for you.

Thanks for the information, Frank!

Genealogy News

The new season of "Who Do You Think You Are?" begins on TLC Monday, December 3. Participants include Mandy Moore, Josh Duhamel, Regina King and Matthew Morrison.


The Pinal County Genealogy Workshop will be held on Saturday, January 26, 2019. Registration forms and class descriptions have been posted on the website. Take a look at www.pinalctyazgen.com. The syllabus should be added within the next week.

 

 

Legacy's December Webinars

For new members/readers: the company that sells the Legacy software presents free genealogy webinars each month. You can find more information or register at www.familytreewebinars.com to watch in real time. Otherwise, the presentations are free to watch for one week following the original  viewing. Be sure to note the correct time in your area.

Wednesday, December 5 - "Ins and Outs of Indexes: Keys to Unlocking County and State Records" by Mary Roddy.   Beginner


Friday, December 7 - "Legacy 9 Unlocked (part 9): Adding an Entry from an Online Database" by Geoff Rasmussen.   Beginner, Intermediate


Wednesday, December 12 - "101 Ways to Design a Genealogy Chart" by Janet Hovorka.   Beginner


Friday, December 14 - "Citation for Beginners" by Shellee Morehead.  Beginner


Tuesday, December 18 - "Proving Identity and Kinship Using the GPS: Finding a Freedman's Family" by Nancy A. Peters.   Intermediate


Wednesday, December 19 -"That Splendid Little War: Researching Your Spanish American War Ancestors" by Michael L. Strauss.   Beginner