GenealogyClassBlog

FamilySearch Home Page April 2011

Have you tried FamilySearch? It’s a large, free website for genealogists, provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is somewhat complex, and is currently undergoing some very serious updating. So, you may find it challenging to try to locate the information you need, and to know whether you have found everything there is to find. Want a list of genealogy terms in French? Want to find online lectures? Want to find which roll of microfilm might have your ancestor’s will? Or maybe you want to find published genealogies on the surname of your ancestor? Let me help you.

I will be presenting an even newer “What’s New” lecture on Saturday, April 9, from 10:30 to 12:30 at the Tulsa City County Library’s Genealogy Center. This is a free, two-hour program, and is an update to what I’ve presented previously. The objective is to help explain where FamilySearch has been, where it’s going, and how to use it now. I will be available afterward to answer questions, too.

The Genealogy Center is located at 2901 S. Harvard in Tulsa. See other TCCL events at this link.*

I hope to see you there. Please tell me that you learned about the program from reading my blog post!

* When you click the link, you’ll be downloading a pdf brochure, which may be opened using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

The Tulsa Genealogical Society will be offering a series of mini-workshops at their facility, starting this Thursday, January 27. According to the society’s publicity, at the first workshop, “Scrapbooking – Genealogy Style,” “Peggy Blodgett and Linda Quinn will demonstrate ‘hands on’ how to organize a family scrapbook that will find a space on your coffee table, and a special place in your heart.” Doors open at 6:30pm; workshop 7:00-9:00pm.

The suggested donation of $10.00 benefits the Tulsa Genealogical Society. There will also be a $2.00 charge for scrapbooking materials. For more information, call 918-627-4224.

Additional workshops have been scheduled (including the workshop I will present on February 24)

• February 24, 2011 — Barbara Meehan, “What’s New With FamilySearch.”
• March 31, 2011 — Janet Cottrell, “Cemeteries”
• April 28, 2011 — Laura Martin, “Oklahoma Historical Society”
• May 26, 2011 — Steve King, “Steamships & Early Migration Routes
• June 23, 2011 — Kathy Huber, Topic To Be Announced

The suggested donation for each of the mini-workshops is $10.00. TGS is located at 9136 East 31st Street, at the southeast corner and back of the Briar Village Shopping Center.

beta.familysearch.org

Whether you are new to genealogy or have been researching your ancestry for years, you need to know what is going on with FamilySearch®. I included the topic of FamilySearch® in class in late October and I have already heard about changes I’ll need to make to my presentation.

On Thursday, February 24, 2011, I will be presenting an evening workshop for the Tulsa Genealogical Society on the topic, “What’s New With FamilySearch®?”

I presented the same topic in July for the Tulsa City-County Library and had a large crowd at Hardesty Library. FamilySearch® is a free website, an online home for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their genealogical help to everyone – whether Mormon or not.

The people at FamilySearch® have been listening to genealogists. I even had a meeting with Jay Verkler, the FamilySearch CEO while at the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ 2009 National Conference in Little Rock. They have introduced new online spaces, and are uploading digitized records. They have a huge volunteer indexing program and they are working to digitally back up their collection of 2.4 million rolls of microfilm as well.

When I presented the program in July, I included two brand new online videos that you should be sure to watch. Visit their blog entry from July to access the videos.

And, to visit their beta site, which is where they are testing all of these new features, go to http://beta.familysearch.org. Their original site can still be found at http://www.familysearch.org.

The mini workshop is a fund-raiser for TGS, and will be held at their library, 9136 E. 31st St., from 6:30 to 8:30. Check the Tulsa Genealogical Society’s website for the recommended donation amount.

Boston Avenue Church

It’s time again for the School of Continuing Education at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church. My five-week genealogy classes will move from their usual Tuesday evenings to Wednesday mornings, from 9:30 to 10:30 and from 10:45 to 11:45. Registration for the school is $12.00, and includes all of the classes you can take for that same price. Other classes are listed in the brochure or in the church newspaper, available at BostonAvenue.org.

Genealogy classes are in two different series — one to learn the basics and the other to pick up particular topics in a lecture format. All five of these are programs that I have presented locally, including two that I presented at the 2009 Federation of Genealogical Societies National Conference. Here are the specific titles:

GENEALOGY:  FAMILY HISTORY BASICS  9:30 – 10:30 am

Oct 6 – Important First Steps
Oct 13 – The Census
Oct 20 – The Family History Library
Oct 27 – Court, Land & Military Records
Nov 3 – Tour of Internet Resources

FIVE GENEALOGY TALKS  10:45 – 11:45 am

Oct 6 – How Do You Know? Understanding Evidence and Citing Your Sources
Oct 13 – How to Be a Power Hitter: Improve Your Online Searching Skills
Oct 20 – What’s New at FamilySearch®?
Oct 27 – Oklahoma Settlement:  Territorial Homestead and Allotment Records
Nov 3 – Deutsche Vorfahren:  German Ancestors

For more information call Boston Avenue at 918-583-5181 or visit the church’s web site at www.bostonavenue.org/newspaper.shtml and download the newspaper from 24 September 2010.

Last July I presented a program for the Tulsa City-County Library on organization called, “Information Overload: Organizing Your Genealogy Records.” It was very well attended. Many people struggle with the mountains of paperwork, photos, computer files, and notes that we produce as we search for our ancestors, and so the topic is a popular one.

The Tulsa Genealogical Society has asked me to present a program on organizing, with a special emphasis on the paper records. I am scheduled for their March meeting, Monday, 15 March. Janet Cottrell teaches a free beginners class beginning at 6:00, and the meeting is from 7:00 to 9:00.

The monthly meetings are held the third Monday of the month (September through May), at the TGS Library, located in the southeast corner of the Briar Village Shopping Center, in a suite of offices behind what was once a Price Mart. Meetings are free and open to the public.

The address is 9162 E. 31st St. TGS has a web site: www.tulsalibrary.org.