Thank You Flip Pal Fairy Godmother and an Apology to the UPS Man

The fine people at Flip Pal have revealed the names of the genealogy bloggers selected to participate in SIMPLE GIFTS - A BLOG HOP that will run from November 4 to November 25, 2011 using the Flip-Pal™ mobile scanner.

There were 7 bloggers selected and they are all wonderful choices!

Drusilla Pair
Find Your Folks
http://www.findyourfolks.blogspot.com

I just love this photo of Professor Dru!

Marian Pierre-Louis

          Marian's Roots and Rambles

                    http://rootsandrambles.blogspot.com

Caroline Pointer

For Your Family Story

http://www.4yourfamilystory.com/blog.html

Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Nutfield Genealogy

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com

Nancy Shively

Gathering Stories

http://nancyshively.blogspot.com

Julie Cahill Tarr

GenBlog

http://genblogjulie.blogspot.com

Each of these ladies has a style so uniquely their own and I can't wait to see what they bring to the gift creating table. I am so thrilled to have been chosen as one of seven genealogy bloggers to receive a Flip Pal for evaluation and to  take part in the challenge to create simple gifts and holiday decorations using the scanner.

One of the requirements of participating in this Blog-Hop is to document my adventures with the Flip Pal.  Well my adventure began even before it arrived at my house.  Here's the story: 

  My neighborhood has its own regular UPS Delivery Man or so I have been told by those who have actually seen him.  This guy is a Ninja and his usual M.O. is this:  He usually will show up before noon.  I can hear that truck when it's 3 blocks away and  I start to sprint down the hallway towards the front door.  I only make it halfway when I hear the doorbell ring - one long, two short and one long - that's the UPS Ninja's morse code notifying me that there is a package on my porch.  By the time I get to the door, all I can see is the white smoke blowing out the truck's tailpipe and the faint grinding of gears as the Ninja makes his getaway.  

So . . . after I was notified that my Flip Pal was on its way to me, I used my mathematical skills to calculate  the  ETA  of the UPS truck pulling up in front of my house.  I filled a thermos with coffee, grabbed my sleeping bag, my netbook and my camera and set up camp under the stairs of my front porch.  I was able to get one photo before I crawled out from under the stairs.  It seems that I scared the bejeesus out of the guy when I came our whooping and hollering with my camera.  He tossed me the box, got back in his truck, slammed the door shut AND locked it!  Some Ninja he turned out to be, scared of a crazy lady doing a happy dance on the porch.

I'll bet that his Fairy Godmother looks like this:

I'll be back to share more of my adventure later this week!

Dear Flip Pal Fairy GodMother

Dear Dahling Flip Pal Fairy Godmother,


So what is it with your family lately?  Your sister, the SLIG Fairy Godmother deserted me in my time of need (blogger contest for tuition waiver).  Your cousin, the IGHR Fairy Godmother (Birdie Holsclaw Scholarship), is pretending like she doesn't know me.  Are you going to bail on me too??????


I really need you to shake the magic wand and shower me with fairy dust.  I am going to attempt to create a Christmas Family Tradition again this year.  If you will recall, the previous two years were freakin' train wrecks, complete disasters and obvious FAILS.  Please take a moment to refresh your memory.  Go ahead, I'll wait.  It's not like I'm going to Salt Lake City or Birmingham in the next few minutes (Oh Hell Yes I am pouting)

My Quest To Establish A Christmas Family Tradition - First Year

My Quest To Establish A Christmas Family Tradition - Second Year

2nd Year  Fiasco

Pretty pathetic, huh?  So now I am sure it is quite obvious why I need that Flip Pal to try and make the third attempt at Creating A Christmas Family Tradition the charm.   The possibilities are endless if I were to have one of those cute little scanners.  I have visions of family history projects for Christmas dancing in my head.

Hugs from your ever loving Genea-Goddaughter

Sheri

(Ahem, that would be Sheri Fenley, the one who lives in Stockton)

The San Joaquin County Obituary Indexing Project Is A Go!

All the hard work of the Coalition of the San Joaquin County Obituary Index Project has finally paid off.  FamilySearch Indexing agreed to partner with us and thanks to Devon Ashby, our project is up and running.  Devon, who is the project coordinator for FamilySearch Indexing, went to bat for us and got our project pushed through.  A big "Thank You" goes out to  Cath Trindle from the California State Genealogical Alliance who put me in touch with Devon.


The project is up and running and waiting for volunteers like YOU to "pay it forward" with a little bit of your time and talent.  If you are already an indexer with FamilySearch, you will find our project under the heading - 


US, California, San Joaquin County - Obituary Index File, 1850 to 1991


If you want to help with the project and are new to the program, there will be a training webinar tomorrow - Wednesday, October 19th at 2:00 pm Pacific Time / 5:00 pm Eastern Time.  It will be recorded for later viewing if you can't make the session tomorrow.  Contact me for the link and instructions for  the training webinar via email at:


sherifenley@gmail.com


For background on the coalition and the project,  I direct you to a post I wrote earlier which you can read HERE.

To The SLIG Fairy Godmother

Christy Fillerup,  who is the Head Honchess of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy,  announced that they were having a contest for bloggers and the prize is a waiver of the tuition for the upcoming SLIG 2012.

Like so many of you, I have to watch my spending. The way the economy has affected the budget at  Camp Fenley, I am  left with only being able to attend one big event per year.   However, if the SLIG Fairy Godmother shakes her wand at me and some magic dust comes pouring out giving me the opportunity to attend tuition free, then I will find a way to make an airline ticket and hotel reservations appear.

I almost did not enter this contest because I didn't know what to say that hasn't already been said.  But here it is - 30 minutes until the deadline and I have had an epiphany!

For the last month I have been stripping 12 layers of paint off newly found doors for my kitchen cabinets.  There were none when we moved in 3 years ago, or so I thought.  I found them in our newly discovered basement.  Remind me to tell you that story sometime!

Anyhoo, I have come to the realization that whoever said  "the right tool for the job  makes all the difference in the world" wasn't just blowing smoke up my skirt.  The 12 layers of paint were layered like strata - an oil-based olive green, then a water based brown, then another oil based robin's egg blue and so on and so on. So I had to use a combination of chemical strippers and constantly change the blades in the scraper.

Well, I think that SLIG is a tool for the professional genealogist.  If I were to attend, my research skills and knowledge of the holdings in the Family History Library would get the workout I need in this area of my skill sets.  At a first and quick glance, the courses seemed to be like ones offered at IGHR however after looking closer, I was wrong to make that assumption.

There is one course in particular that I am dying to take:


COURSE 10:  Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum


I have never seen a course like this offered anywhere.  As one might expect, the course was filled practically overnight.  But there is a waiting list and if I were going, I would add my name to the list.This hands-on course is an opportunity for advanced genealogists to put their research skills into practice. Participants will work on at least five complex genealogical research problems—a new one each day. Each case will require careful evidence evaluation and/or additional research to solve. The objective is to give each student experience in conducting research on complex problems, analyzing and correlating evidence, and reaching conclusions. The research problems will be varied, offering students the challenge of stretching their mind and skills in directions that their research may not normally take them.

Another choice :


COURSE 9:  Advanced Genealogical Methods


Students in “Advanced Genealogical Methods” will learn how to use and assemble evidence to rediscover ancestral origins, identities, and relationships that have been forgotten in the passage of time. The course will address advanced use of evidence from a variety of genealogical records and research in populations for which the usual records are in short supply (including female, enslaved, and impoverished ancestors). Students also will learn how to develop written proof summaries to show their conclusions’ accuracy and create a credible record of their findings for present and future generations of family historians.


Tom Jones is the instructor for this course and I am sure that this class is not for sissies.


One final choice I would make would be:


COURSE 7:  Principles of Effective Genealogical Librarianship

Now I know what you are thinking, "Sheri, you are not a librarian."  No I'm not but taking this course would educate me in the ways of those magical people and their secret coded language and the hidden rooms where they keep all the good stuff!  (Our librarian here in Stockton thinks she is a Harry Potter character so I have learned to humor her)

So with 5 minutes to spare, here SLIG Fairy Godmother is my entry to the contest.  The End.

UPDATE:  Congratulations to Annaleise Taylor Dearinger who has won the contest.

It Is Time For My Annual Halloween Video!

It's October and faithful readers of this blog know what that means . . . .    That's right!  My Annual Halloween JibJab Video!


This year I have made two for your viewing enjoyment  The first, star the "Saints" - authors  from the blog THE CATHOLIC GENE.   Donna Pointkouski, Craig Manson, Lisa Alzo, Steve Danko and of course ME!  (The other "Saints" from our blog - Jasia, Smallest Leaf, Cecile and Denise Levenick will get their own video as soon as they send me a photo of themselves )

This second video I made because I really like Zombies.  Randy Seaver, Bill West and Thomas MacEntee make great ones!  Caution for the squeamish -   A few limbs are torn off bodies and there is lots of gratuitous blood just like a true Zombie movie should have.

HAPPY  HALLOWEEN!

Genealogical Writing Opportunities & Contests

I have come across so many opportunities for writers to shine and show their stuff.  I have compiled a list just for you  because I am all about sharing, caring and giving.  You're welcome.

The Southern California Genealogical Society GENEii  Family History Writers Contest is now open to everyone.  There are two categories with six cash prizes of $25 - $200 Entries must be received between November 1 and December 31, 2011.  FAQ's and how to enter can be found HERE

The Connecticut Society of Genealogists literary contests are underway.  There are two different contests.  Entries for both contests are due by February 15, 2011.  Winners for both contests will be notified by April 1, 2012.  There is some serious prize money at stake here - $250 to $1000!  You can find full contest rules and entry forms HERE.

Family Tree Magazine is looking for another genealogy newbie to blog about their experiences.  Last year's winner - Nancy Shively - was such a hit, they are doing it again.  To apply for the job click on over and fill out the application HERE.

The National Genealogical Society Annual Family History Writing Contest has a deadline of December 31, 2011.  The person who compiles the most outstanding family history will receive an expense-paid trip to the next NGS Family History Conference. The benefits include travel to and from the conference, hotel accommodations, conference registration fee, and a complimentary banquet ticket.  Manuscripts meeting the requirements will be submitted to the editors of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ) for consideration and will be placed in the NGS Library.  
Contest rules and how to enter can be found HERE.

The Pinellas Genealogists Family History Writing Competition deadline  is October 31, 2011.  For rules and a lists of prizes visit their website located HERE.

BCG Education Fund - Donald Mosher Memorial Award for Colonial Virginia Research  deadline December 31, 2011 - This competitive $500 Award funds scholarly research on colonial Virginia topics in the following categories:  family genealogy, immigrant place or family origin, and publication of obscure or difficult Virginia resources.  To learn more, click HERE.

Do you know of one I missed?  Please let me know in the comments section.

In Which She Is Published For The Very First Time

It's been a red letter day for me here at Camp Fenley.  This morning I met a fellow geneablogger for coffee here in Stockton.  Jacqi Stevens, who is the author of A Family Tapestry, lives right here in Stockton.  How could that be?  A geneablogger living here right under my nose and I didn't catch the scent?  Well she had been flying under the radar, but now that we have met she will be  more visible.  Got her to join the San Joaquin Genealogical Society and have her hooked to become a member of DAR.  When we met at the coffee shop it was the same old story - we immediately hugged each other - felt like we'd been BFF's since forever.  We yacked and yacked and before we knew it 3 1/2 hours had passed!

As if that wasn't enough good vibes for one day, when I got home I found that my article I wrote about my SIL's family has been published!  My very first article to appear in a print magazine!  I can't stop dancing around and  whoo-hooting long enough to even tell my husband what I am so excited about.  He just shook his head and said he was going fishing and he would see me tomorrow.  He sees this kind of behaviour from me all the time  so nothing fazes him anymore.


My article entitled "David Nathan Walter:  Jewish Pioneer of San Francisco"  has been published in The California Genealogical Society's magazine "The Nugget."  Oh there are other articles in this edition also.  Amy Coffin has the cover story about RootsTech 2012.  You can read about that and others by heading over to the California Genealogical Society Blog.  Tell them the Whoo-Hooter sent you!

My First Article Over At The Catholic Gene

By now I am sure that everyone has heard about the new collaborative blog called THE CATHOLIC GENE.  
From the "About Us" page of our blog:

The Catholic Gene was founded by a diverse group of friends who share two common things: a love for both genealogical research and the Roman Catholic faith.  Most of the authors were “born Catholic” and  some came to the faith later in life.  Some aren’t actually Catholic but appreciate the faith as much as the rest of us.  We hope that this blog will provide readers with useful information about the Catholic faith and genealogy.

The Catholic Gene’s mission is to present various aspects of the faith of our fathers…and mothers.  But we’re genealogists at heart, so we’ll present the faith as seen through the eyes of a family historian.  Whether it’s details about ecclesiastical archives,  our ancestors’ churches, vintage photographs, personal reflections, or lives of the saints in genealogical records, The Catholic Gene will offer something for everyone.

You may now  be excused to click on over and read my awesome tribute to St. Vincent de Paul. 

It Don't Mean A Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing

Marian Pierre Louis over at Marian's Roots and Rambles brought up a topic that has been on my mind for a very long time  in her post "And So She Risks Everything By Being Completely Honest."


Marian was schmoozing with people in the audience before she gave a presentation on Deeds and Probates recently.  As she is working her way around the room greeting the people who had come to the  presentation, she came upon a couple of recent graduates of the Boston University Genealogical Certificate Program who questioned her qualifications to give the presentation.


Questioned her ability and knowledge BEFORE she even had a chance to give the presentation!


Well I have a couple of thoughts about this.  But first I want to make very clear that I think the B.U. program is a top notch course that was developed and is taught by some of the very best in the field of genealogical and historical research. Earning the certificate takes work and dedication.

However, that certificate doesn't give them the authority to become the Qualification Police. Kudos to those who take the course and earn the certificate.  But that is only one course. 


 I wonder how many times those recent grads have been to IGHR, SLIG or NIGR?  Have they completed the NGS Home Study Course? Have they earned a BA from BYU or post-nomials from the completion of courses at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies?  And while we are on the subject of post-nomials have they become a certified genealogist by BCG or an accredited genealogist from ICAPGEN?

On the other hand, there are a few genealogists out there who are just as (if not more than) qualified but their knowledge comes from many years of "on the job" experience.  The kind you don't get from books or classrooms or doing research on the internet.






Marian is a much sought after speaker because she knows her stuff.  Those recent grads with the bad manners have a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease   I mean they obviously did not stop to think about who was sitting in the audience and who had been contracted to give the presentation before they opened their mouths.




Degrees and credentials don't mean a thing if you 


don't have the experience to back it up. 

You Don't Want To Miss These Northern California Genealogical Events

My calendar for the next couple of months is full of genealogical events happening all over Northern California.  October is Family History Month and here's a few places you can go celebrate:

FAMILY HISTORY DAY 

AT THE 

CALIFORNIA STATE ARCHIVES

Saturday  October 15th, 2011

8:30 am  to  4:00 pm

California State Archives

1020  O  Street, Sacramento
Visit the FHD blog HERE

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FAMILY HISTORY EXPO

October 7th and 8th

San Mateo County Event Center

Over 60 Classes and Workshops

Free Exhibit Hall

Door Prizes and Drawings

Early Bird Special of 50% off registration

offer good until September 25th

Register online HERE

SMITHSONIAN  MAGAZINE  MUSEUM  DAY

Saturday September 24, 2011

In the spirit of Smithsonian Museums, who offer free admission everyday, Museum Day is an annual event hosted by Smithsonianmagazine in which participating museums across the country open their doors to anyone presenting a Museum Day Ticket...for free.

To receive your free Museum Day ticket for 2 people click HERE

1st ANNUAL SACRAMENTO ARCHIVES CRAWL

Saturday October 1, 2011
11:00 am  to  4:00 pm

Start off at any of the host locations - the California State Archives (1020 O Street), California State Library (900 N Street), Center for Sacramento History(551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.), or Sacramento Public Library (828 I Street), and "crawl" to the others using the map provided in your Archives Crawl passport. At each location, you can view archival collections on display and take behind-the-scenes tours. Representatives from other archives and special collections libraries will be on hand to discuss their archival collections - historic photographs, rare books, historic artifacts - and answer your questions about how to connect with local history resources. Those who have their passports stamped by at least three of the host locations will receive a set of limited-edition collectible coasters with images from Sacramento's former Buffalo Brewing Company.  Visit the official website HERE

ANCESTRY DAY IN SAN FRANCISCO


Saturday November 5, 2011


Hyatt Regency Hotel on the Embarcadero


To register click HERE