Relive RootsTech 2011

Popular Conference Makes Select Presentations Available for Free Online

11 March 2011

SALT LAKE CITY—If you missed the popular inaugural RootsTech 2011 conference, you can now at least get a sampling of what all the excitement was about. The wildly popular new technology and family history conference held last month in Salt Lake City, Utah, made its keynote addresses and a few other popular presentations available online today free of charge. The six free presentations can be viewed at RootsTech.org.

“The scope of the RootsTech conference was unique. We wanted to try to fulfill a need to bring technology users (family history buffs and anyone interested in genealogy) and technology creators (developers, programmers, engineers) together in a unique, fun environment to collaborate and move the genealogy industry forward through technology,” said Anne Roach, RootsTech conference chair. And bring them together it did.

The inaugural conference, hosted by FamilySearch, was a runaway success. With over 3,000 in-person attendees and another 4,500 attending remotely over the Internet, it was arguably one of the largest genealogy-related conferences ever held in the country. In-person attendees hailed from 42 states and 15 countries. Some came from as far away as China, New Zealand, Australia, Namibia, and Israel.

Paul Nauta, RootsTech public relations chair, reported that there were over 40 bloggers in attendance. “Between online articles, blog posts, and nonstop tweets, the online community was buzzing 24 hours a day during the conference and for weeks following—and amazingly, articles and tweets are still going strong,” noted Nauta.

The new conference was pulled together quickly by industry standards—in about 6 months. “The fact that we were able to attract as many conference goers as we did in such a short amount of time testifies to the interest there is in technology and family history,” said Roach. “And we’ve put the videos of the keynotes and other presentations online for free to give others a chance to share in the RootsTech experience; to give them a taste of what they can expect for 2012,” added Roach.

A highlight of the conference was the extensive community networking—community zone (exhibit hall), collaboration stations, and unconferencing sessions. These integrated features produced an open conference atmosphere that seemed to be ideal to introduce technology creators to genealogy technology users and to foster discussions, learning, collaboration, and future industry developments.

Unconferencing sessions—impromptu, participant-driven discussion forums that promote brainstorming, the sharing of ideas, and innovation—were totally new to genealogy attendees, but were more familiar to the technologists. Attendees took advantage of unconferencing sessions to discuss user needs with technology developers and to brainstorm new ideas and solutions. “People emerged from these [unconferencing sessions] with eyes sparkling, and I overheard several people describing conversations between developers and genealogists that left both feeling validated and motivated,” said Polly FitzGerald Kimitt, an attendee and 

author of Pollyblog.

The RootsTech 2012 conference is scheduled for February 2–4 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In addition to the six video presentations mentioned above, video interviews of other conference speakers and developers can be watched at Genealogy Gems YouTube.

About RootsTech

RootsTech is a new conference designed to bring technologists together with genealogists to learn from each other and find solutions to the challenges faced in family history research today. The conference’s activities and offerings are focused on content that will help genealogists and family historians discover exciting new research tools while enabling technology creators to learn the latest development techniques from industry leaders and pioneers.

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U.S. and Mexico Records Added This Week

New U.S. records from MO, NC, NJ, OH, VT, WV

Record collections for Mexico and the U.S. were expanded this week. The Mexico 1930 Census is drawing closer to completion with the addition of the state of Puebla—way to go FamilySearch volunteers! Patrons will also find new records from Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia (see table below for more details). Search them now for free at FamilySearch.org.

If you enjoy the steady stream of free records added weekly, please consider “giving back” by contributing a little time online as a FamilySearch volunteer. You can start and stop anytime. Find out more at indexing.familysearch.org.

Collection	Records	Images	Comment
Mexico Census, 1930 (Puebla)	1,151,608	2,337	Additional state added to the Mexico 1930 Census.
Mexico, Distrito Federal, Catholic Church Records, 1886-1933	87,199	79	Updated collection.
U.S., Missouri, Confederate Pension Applications and Soldiers Home Applications	0	27,874	New collection.
U.S., North Carolina Deaths, 1931-1994	9,777	0	Name index to deaths recorded in North Carolina.
U.S., Ohio, Cuyahoga County Probate Files, 1813-1900	0	90,601	Additional images added to the probate case files from the Cuyahoga County Courthouse in Cleveland. Files arranged by docket number, case number, and date.
U.S., Vermont, Vital Records, 1760-1954	221,293	729,956	Index cards of town clerk transcriptions of births, marriages, and deaths, 1760-1954.
U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (WV, NJ)	686,269	1,178,358	West Virginia and New Jersey cards added.

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FamilySearch Indexing Launches Its First Hungarian Project

Speak or Read Hungarian?

FamilySearch is keeping sync with its goal to increase access to records worldwide. Part of that formula is to keep introducing indexing projects from more countries. It also means additional languages for volunteers to tackle. FamilySearch has 73 international indexing projects currently underway. That’s right, 73. This week FamilySearch indexing added its first project in Hungarian, which means projects now cover 12 languages.

 The new Hungarian project is for Magyarország, Szabolcs—polgári anyakönyvi adatok, 1895–1978 [1. Rész]. If you can read Hungarian, or know others who do, please help rally the much needed support for this project. Additional projects will be added as the active volunteer base grows. Register or find out more information at Indexing.FamilySearch.org.

 See the lists below for other new, complete, or in-progress projects.

 New Projects Added in February 2011

 ·         Argentina, Balvanera—Registros Parroquiales, 1833–1934 [Parte C]
(Argentina, Balvanera—Church Records, 1833–1934 [Part C])

·         Belgique—Registres Civile, 1851–1900 [Partie C]
(Belgium—Civil Registrations, 1851–1900 [Part C]
In cooperation with Algemeen Rijksarchief en Rijksarchief in de Provincien

·         Brasil, Rio de Janeiro—Imigração Cartões, 1900–1965 [Parte A]
(Brazil, Rio de Janeiro—Immigration Cards, 1900–1965 [Part A])

·         Deutschland, Baden-Württemberg, Kirchzarten—Kirchenbücher, 1810–1869
(Germany, Baden-Württemberg, Kirchzarten—Church Book Duplicates, 1810–1869)

·         El Salvador—Registros Civiles, 1836-1910 [Parte B]
(El Salvador—Civil Registration, 1836–1910 [Part B])

·         España, Avila, Bernuy-Zapardiel—Registros Parroquiales, 1530–1935
(Spain, Avila, Bernuy-Zapardiel—Parish Registers, 1530–1935)
In cooperation with Proyecto-IA—Proyecto Indexación Ávila

·         Magyarország, Szabolcs—polgári anyakönyvi adatok, 1895–1978 [1. Rész]
(Hungary, Szabolcs—Civil Registration, 1895–1978 [Part 1])

·         Norway—1875 Federal Census [Part C]
In cooperation with DIS-Norge

·         U.S., California—1852 State Census
In cooperation with California Genealogical Society and Library

·         U.S., Illinois—1865 State Census

·         U.S., Kansas—1930 Federal Census

·         U.S., New York—1930 Federal Census [Part A]

·         U.S., Ohio—1930 Federal Census

·         U.S., Pennsylvania—WWII Draft Registration Cards, 1942

·         U.S., South Dakota—1930 Federal Census

·         Česká Republika (Tschechien), Litoměřice—Matriky, 1552–1905 [část 1B]
(Czech Republic, Litomerice—Church Records, 1552–1905 [Part 1B]

(See the chart below for a complete list and current status of all indexing projects.)

Recently Completed Projects

 (Note: Recently completed projects have been removed from the available online indexing batches and will now go through a final completion check process. They will be published at familysearch.org in the near future.)

·         Argentina, Balvanera—Registros Parroquiales, 1833–1934 [Parte B]

·         Canada, Bas–Canada—Recensement de 1842

·         Canada, New Brunswick—Deaths, 1815–1938 [Part B]

·         Colombia, Marinilla—Registros Parroquiales, 1815–1959

·         France, Coutances—Registres Paroissiaux, 1802–1907

·         France, Paris—Registres Protestants, 1612–1906 [Part D]

·         Jamaica—Civil Births, 1900–1930 [Part C]

·         Peru, Lima—Registros Civiles, 1887–1921 [Parte A]

·         Philippines, Lingayen, Dagupan—Registros Parroquiales, 1615–1982

·         U.K., Manchester—Parish Registers, 1813–1925 [Part B]

·         U.S.—Naval Enlistment Registers, 1855–1891

·         U.S., Alabama—County Marriages, 1809–1950 [Part A]

·         U.S., Chicago—1920 Federal Census

·         U.S., Illinois—County Marriages, 1810–1934 [Part A]

·         U.S., Massachusetts—1930 Federal Census

·         U.S., Michigan—1930 Federal Census

·         U.S., Minnesota—1930 Federal Census

·         U.S., Minnesota—County Marriages, 1860–1949 [Part A]

·         U.S., Nebraska—1930 Federal Census

·         U.S., New York—1892 State Census [Part 2]

·         U.S., New York—WWII Draft Registration Cards, 1942

·         U.S., North Carolina—1930 Federal Census

·         U.S., Oklahoma—County Marriages, 1891–1959 [Part B]

·         U.S., Texas—Birth Records, 1903–1934 [Part D]

·         U.S., Texas—County Marriages, 1837–1977 [Part B]

Current FamilySearch Indexing Projects, Record Language, and Percent Completion

Argentina, Balvanera—Registros Parroquiales, 1833–1934 [Parte C] (Argentina, Balvanera—Church Records, 1833–1934 [Part B])	Spanish	(New)
Argentina, Santa Fe—Registros Parroquiales, 1634–1926 [Parte A] (Argentina, Santa Fe—Church Records, 1634–1926 [Part A])	Spanish	65%
Brasil—Registro Civil, 1852–1914 [Parte 2A] (Brazil—Civil Registration, 1852–1914 [Part 2A])	Portuguese	4%
Brasil, Florianópolis—Registros da Igreja, 1751–1954 [Parte A] (Brazil, Florianópolis—Church Records, 1751–1954 [Part A])	Portuguese	20%
Brasil, Pernambuco, Recife—Registro Civil, 1900–1920 (Brazil, Pernambuco, Recife—Civil Registration, 1900–1920)	Portuguese	4%
Brasil, Rio de Janeiro—Imigração Cartões, 1900–1965 [Parte A] (Brazil, Rio de Janeiro—Immigration Cards, 1900–1965 [Part A])	Portuguese	(New)
Brasil, Rio de Janeiro—Matrimonios, 1900–1910 [Piloto] (Brazil, Rio de Janeiro—Marriages, 1900–1910)	Portuguese	59%
Canada—Passenger Lists, 1881–1922	English	6%
Canada, Ontario—Marriages, 1869–1927 [Part B]	English	13%
Chile—Registros Civiles, 1885–1900 (Chile—Civil Registration, 1885–1900)	Spanish	44%
Chile, Concepción—Registros Civiles, 1885–1903 [Parte 2B] (Chile, Concepcion—Civil Registration, 1885–1903 [Part 2B])	Spanish	64%
Colombia, Bucaramanga—Registros Parroquiales, 1649–1959 (Colombia, Bucaramanga—Church Records, 1649–1959)	Spanish	15%
Deutschland, Baden, Achern—Kirchenbücher, 1810–1869 [Part D] (Germany, Baden, Achern—Church Books, 1810–1869 [Part D])	German	87%
Deutschland, Baden-Württemberg, Kirchzarten—Kirchenbücher, 1810–1869 (Germany, Baden-Württemberg, Kirchzarten—Church Book Duplicates, 1810–1869)	German	(New)
El Salvador—Registros Civiles, 1835–1910 (El Salvador—Civil Registration, 1835–1910)	Spanish	40%
El Salvador—Registros Civiles, 1836-1910 [Parte B] (El Salvador—Civil Registration, 1836–1910 [Part B])	Spanish	(New)
España, Andalucía—Registros Civiles, 1837–1870 (Spain, Andalucia—Civil Registration, 1837–1870)	Spanish	13%
España, Lugo—Registros Parroquiales, 1530–1930 [Parte 1] (Spain, Lugo—Parish Registers, 1530–1930 [Part 1])	Spanish	44%
France, Cherbourg—Registres Paroissiaux, 1802–1907 (France, Cherbourg—Parish Registers, 1802–1907)	French	47%
France, Saint-Lo—Registres Paroissiaux, 1802–1907 (France, Saint-Lo—Parish Registers, 1802–1907)	French	76%
Guatemala, Guatemala—Registros Civiles, 1800–1900 (Guatemala, Guatemala—Civil Registration, 1800–1900)	Spanish	26%
Guatemala, Guatemala—Registros Civiles, 1877–1900 (Guatemala, Guatemala—Civil Registration, 1877–1900)	Spanish	48%
Ireland—Tithe Applotment Books, 1824–1840	English	16%
Italia, Provincia di Vicenza—Registri Parrocchiali, 1597–1937 (Italy, Vicenza Province—Parish Registers, 1597–1937)	Italian	21%
Italy, Trento—Baptisms, 1784–1924 [Part 2A]	Italian	67%
Jamaica—Church of England Parish Baptisms, 1664–1880	English	18%
Magyarország, Szabolcs—polgári anyakönyvi adatok, 1895–1978 [1. Rész] (Hungary, Szabolcs—Civil Registration, 1895–1978 [Part 1])	Hungarian	(New)
Mexico, D.F.—Bautismos, 1536–1900 [Parte A] (Mexico, D.F.—Church Baptisms, 1536–1900 [Part A])	Spanish	6%
Mexico, Veracruz—1930 Federal Censo (Mexico, Veracruz—1930 Federal Census)	Spanish	60%
New Zealand—Passenger Lists, 1871–1915 [Part 2A]	English	14%
Nicaragua, Masaya—Registros Civiles, 1879–1984 (Nicaragua, Masaya—Civil Registration, 1879–1984)	Spanish	6%
Norge —Tinglysningskort, 1640–1903 (Norway—Probate Index Cards, 1640–1903)	Norwegian	4%
Portugal, Setúbal—Registros da Igreja, 1581–1910 (Portugal, Setúbal—Church Records, 1581–1910)	Portuguese	29%
República Dominicana—Nacimientos Civiles, 1828–1906 (Dominican Republic—Civil Births, 1828–1906)	Spanish	1%
Russland, Sankt Petersburg—Kirchenbuchduplikat, 1833–1885 (Russia, Saint Petersburg—Parish Register Duplicates, 1833–1885)	German	46%
South Africa, Cape Province—Church Records, 1660–1970	Afrikaans, Dutch, English	80%
Sverige, Södermanland—Kyrkoböcker, till 1860 [Del 1] (Sweden, Södermanland—Church Records, to 1860 [Part 1])	Swedish	94%
Sverige, Uppsala—Kyrkoböcker, till 1860 [Del 1] (Sweden, Uppsala—Church Records, to 1860 [Part 1])	Swedish	89%
Sverige, Örebro—Kyrkoböcker, till 1860 [Del 1] (Sweden, Örebro—Church Records, to 1860 [Part 1])	Swedish	34%
U.K., Essex—Parish Registers, 1538–1900 [Part A]	English	18%
U.K., Warwickshire—Parish Registers, 1538–1900 [Part 2 Adv]	English, Old English	54%
Uruguay—Registros Civiles (Nacimientos), 1879–1930 (Uruguay—Civil Registration (Births), 1879–1930)	Spanish	15%
U.S., Arkansas—WWII Draft Registration, 1942	English	62%
U.S., Illinois—1865 State Census	English	(New)
U.S., Indiana, Elkhart County—Marriages, 1811–1959	English	80%
U.S., Iowa—County Births, 1880–1935 [Part A]	English	42%
U.S., Iowa—County Marriages, 1838–1992 [Part A]	English	79%
U.S., Kansas—1930 Federal Census	English	(New)
U.S., Michigan—County Marriages, 1820–1956 [Part A]	English	8%
U.S., New Jersey—County Marriages, 1682–1956 [Part 1]	English	46%
U.S., New York—1930 Federal Census [Part A]	English	(New)
U.S., New York—Marriage Licenses, 1908–1938 [Part A]	English	62%
U.S., New York—Marriages, 1908–1935 [Part A]	English	55%
U.S., North Carolina—County Marriages, 1762–1959 [Part B]	English	66%
U.S., North Carolina—Freedmen Letters, 1862–1870	English	48%
U.S., Ohio—1930 Federal Census	English	(New)
U.S., Oklahoma—Land Allotment Records, 1899–1907 [Part B]	English	21%
U.S., Pennsylvania—WWII Draft Registration Cards, 1942	English	(New)
U.S., Puerto Rico—1910 Censo Federal (U.S., Puerto Rico—1910 Federal Census)	Spanish	38%
U.S., Puerto Rico—Nacimientos Civiles, 1836–1930 [Parte B] (U.S., Puerto Rico—Civil Births, 1836–1930 [Part B])	Spanish	12%
U.S., South Dakota—1930 Federal Census	English	(New)
U.S., Tennessee—County Marriages, 1790–1950 [Part B]	English	29%
U.S., Tennessee—County Marriages, 1790–1950 [Part C]	English	85%
U.S., Vermont—Vital Records, 1760–1954 [Part B]	English	60%
Venezuela—Nacimientos Civiles, 1873–1909 (Venezuela—Civil Births, 1873–1909)	Spanish	7%
Venezuela, Mérida—Registros Parroquiales, 1654–1992 [Parte 2] (Venezuela, Merida—Parish Registers, 1654–1992 [Part 2])	Spanish	48%
Česká Republika (Tschechien), Litoměřice—Matriky, 1552–1905 [část 1B] (Czech Republic, Litomerice—Church Records, 1552–1905 [Part 1B]	German	(New)
Österreich, Wiener Meldezettel, 1890–1925 (Austria, Vienna—Population Cards, 1890–1925)	German	45%
Украина, Киев—Метрические книги русской православной церкви, 1843–1845 [Часть B] (Ukraine, Kiev—Orthodox Consistory Church Books, 1843–1845 [Part B])	Russian	88%

Current FamilySearch Partner Projects, Record Language, and Percent Completion

België—Burgerlijke Stand, 1851–1900 [Deel 3A] (Belgium—Civil Registration, 1851–1900 [Part 3A])	Dutch, Flemish	17%
Belgique—Registres Civile, 1851–1900 [Partie A] (Belgium—Civil Registration, 1851–1900 [Part A])	French	86%
Belgique—Registres Civile, 1851–1900 [Partie C] (Belgium—Civil Registrations, 1851–1900 [Part C]	French	(New)
Brasil, Minas Gerais—Church Records, 1706-1952	Portuguese	1%
Canada, Ontario, Toronto—Trust Cemeteries, 1826–1935	English	27%
Deutschland, Westfalen, Minden—Volkszählung, 1880–1900 (Germany, Westphalia, Minden—City Censuses, 1880–1900)	German	16%
España, Avila, Barroman—Registros Parroquiales, 1550–1930 (Spain, Avila, Barroman—Parish Registers, 1550–1930)	Spanish	91%
España, Avila, Bernuy-Zapardiel—Registros Parroquiales, 1530–1935 (Spain, Avila, Bernuy-Zapardiel—Parish Registers, 1530–1935)	Spanish	(New)
España, Malaga—Registros Civiles, 1846–1870 (Spain, Malaga—Civil Registration, 1846–1870)	Spanish	54%
France, Quimper et Leon, Brest, Saint Pierre—Registres Paroissiaux, 1772–1909 (France, Quimper et Leon, Brest, Saint Pierre—Parish Registers, 1772–1909)	French	42%
Norway—1875 Census [Part B]	Norwegian	90%
Norway—1875 Federal Census [Part C]	Norwegian	(New)
Polska—Księgi Metrykalne—Diecezja Lublin, 1902–1945 (Poland, Lublin Diocese—Church Books, 1902–1945)	Polish	54%
U.K., Norfolk—Parish Registers, 1538–1900	English	73%
U.S., California—1852 State Census	English	(New)
U.S., Colorado—1885 State Census	English	6%
U.S., Ohio—Tax Records, Post 1825 [Part 4]	English	82%
U.S., Utah, Salt Lake County—Birth Registers, 1890–1908	English	71%
U.S., Utah, Salt Lake County—Death Registers, 1848–1940	English	33%

About FamilySearch

 FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.