Riverton FamilySearch Library FREE Saturday Seminar

Come Join Me!

Free Workshops Cover Variety of Family History Topics

Riverton FamilySearch Library to Hold Saturday Seminar on September 18

RIVERTON, UTAH — Both beginners and experienced genealogists can find something of interest at the next Saturday Seminar at the Riverton FamilySearch Library. On September 18, 2010, eight free classes and a keynote speaker will cover a variety of topics, from New FamilySearch to using social media in genealogy.

No registration is required for this three-hour seminar, which runs from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The library will also be open until 5:00 p.m. that day for patrons desiring to do individual family history research. For more information, please visit www.familysearch.org/fhc/riverton.

At 9:00 a.m. the keynote speaker will be Alan Mann from the FamilySearch. In his presentation, “All a Twitter about Wave,” Alan will talk about using technology in new ways, including social media. Following the keynote presentation, there will be two blocks of four classes each that will cover both research and technology.

Classes to be held from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. are:

·         What Do You Need from Laptop and Smartphone Technology?  – Michael Helmantoler

·         Mid-Atlantic Research – DeAnne Shelley

·         Waypointing: A New Tool for the Online Publication of Genealogical Records – Travis Mecham

·         New FamilySearch: Combining and Separating Duplicate Records – Cathy Anderegg

The classes available from 11:00 a.m. to noon are:

·         Synchronizing Roots Magic Data with new FamilySearch – Sue Maxwell

·         Bits and Pieces: How to Write Your Personal History – Rose Ann Fisher

·         Sourcing Original Documents – Joni Kesler

·         Where to Start on new FamilySearch When Your Genealogy is All Done – Janet Hovorka

Admission is free. The Saturday Seminars will be held on the third Saturday of each month. The Riverton FamilySearch Library is located in the LDS Riverton Office Building at 3740 Market Center Drive. The facility is near the intersection of Bangerter Highway and 13400 South, just east of The Home Depot.

Get Started! ...part 3

Clean Up Your Files and Database and prepare your data for submission to TempleReady, new FamilySearch or any of the various web sites that host family trees.

Cleaning up your data is vital. Many pedigrees have been created over the years that contain many, many mistakes. Unless you do the research and source your data, you are only perpetuating the errors. Family stories handed down can be just that...a story! Memories fade and people can misinterpret names, locations, and dates. Sometimes analysis is based on only one source that was found many years ago. Today there is so much more information available to us that we can research a variety of sources and better determine the correct pedigree.

Eliminate the mess! Is everything you have "just too messy"? Well that's okay. Just get started. You can gather all your materials and sort them into plastic boxes, create and utilize a filing system that works for you, make lists of what you have and begin the process.

And most of all, remember to back up your electronic files! I just hate to hear stories of people who have worked on their family history for many years and then one day they wake up and find their hard drive on their computer had died! At that point all you can do is START OVER FROM SCRATCH! Not a comforting thought!

Eliminate duplicate records. If you are like me, you may find that you have duplicates of books, pedigree charts, internet bookmarks/favorites, photographs, or even genealogy program files. Just make a list and get started by sorting, weeding and documenting what you have. It will make the whole process so much simpler and your data will become much more accurate.