The NGS Conference in Raleigh, NC continues to be a fun way to learn new research skills. These are the sessions I attended today:
Create
a Free Map Collection in Google Earth Customized for Your Genealogical Research. Presented by Lisa Louise Cooke
Today I made sure I was at the Raleigh
Conference Center early because I was eager to learn about Google Earth maps.
Lisa did not disappoint. Before coming to the conference I had downloaded
Google Earth Pro (free) and followed the syllabus for the class. I had not been
able to get far but Lisa’s demonstration quickly showed us all how to access
historical maps and how exciting they can be. These old maps can be overlaid on
current maps to show us where our ancestors lived. From there you can share
those maps with others to excite them about the family’s history.
Southern
Claims Commission: A Treasure Trove of Civil War Ancestors. Presented by Ruth Ann (Abels) Hager
Ruth gave a well-organized talk about
claims presented following the Civil War. She gave us a background on those
claims, described the claim process, detailed the records created during that
process and told us where to access those records. Any ancestors who lived in
the south during the Civil War might have filed a claim for possessions that were taken by Union troops during the conflict. Even if the claim was not granted
the records are filled with genealogy information. Ruth taught me a great deal
today about a resource I had not known existed.
Researching
a Revolutionary War Ancestor in North Carolina and Virginia. Presented by Craig Roberts Scott.
This was my second session with Craig. On Day #1 I heard his talk, “NC in the War of 1812”.
I’m glad I attended both sessions. Craig is certainly a military expert.
Today’s session told us, step by step how to conduct our Revolutionary War
research and the best places to search. I will be using his syllabus as a
research tool often!
Two States, Multiple
Counties – What’s a Border? Presented by Diane L.Richard
This was my second session with Diane. On Day #1 I listened to
her talk about ‘Tarheels in my Family Tree’. Once again, she was brimming with
information. Do not assume that your family member only generated records in
one area. Maybe the court house in the adjoining county or state was actually
easier to access than the one he should have used. Look at maps. Be familiar
with the area, the courthouses, churches, etc. that he could have used. Despite
having a sore throat and a raspy voice, Diane gave us many interesting examples
of multi-county families and tips for researching.
Online State &
Federal Resources for Genealogy. Presented by Michael Hait
By 4:00 this afternoon I was tempted to call it a day and head
back to my hotel. My mind was overflowing with lots of new information.
However, I am very glad I stayed for this last session of the day. Michael told
us he was not going to talk about the major genealogy sites. He talked about
record repositories and what they offer, on the state and federal level. For
example, the Library of Congress has railroad maps, Civil War maps that show
homeowners in battle areas, and much more. I had no idea those were available
online. His syllabus gives us state and federal sites to search, examples of
what can be discovered there & the web addresses for those sites.
The Conference App. If you attend a NGS conference you want to have the app handy
on your phone or iPad. There have been several room changes and the app shows
them all. One session had three room changes and I would have missed it without
the app. The app also shows maps, vendors, all the sessions, your own schedule,
a place to take notes & more. Very handy!
Tomorrow, last day! I will be packing up & heading north
again after the conference. I probably won’t have time to write a post…
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Again, thanks for the succinct summary. I heard Michael speak at a conference several years ago and I was amazed at the many lesser-known records and repositories he listed as good possibilities for family history research.
ReplyDeleteI learned a great deal at this conference. It is always good to learn there are more possibilities out there.
DeleteI need to investigate using historic maps with google Earth. I haven't done a lot of property research but I do have some information, and finding the home of one of my ancestors using a photo and google Earth was very exciting. I know locations of some property but it would be such fun to see where they were located on a map. Thank you for reminding me of this additional research tool, Colleen.
ReplyDeleteI had never used Google Earth before & did not realize the possibilities. It is fun to play with.
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