Party At Camp Fenley!

Happy 4th Blogoversary

To Me!

Four years ago I did something totally out of character for me.  After years of reading wonderful genealogy blogs, after seeing genealogists connect with other genealogists while building an online community - I gave up my lurking in the background and jumped in with both feet.  It was one of the scariest, but one of the best decisions I have ever made.

The majority of genealogy bloggers started their blogs with a specific purpose in mind.  Me?  I still don't have an answer when people ask me what my blog is all about.  Maybe this little photo montage  will be of some help in defining this blog:

If the photos didn't help, then stay tuned - starting tomorrow and every day for one week I will be re-posting the top seven posts from the last four years.  

Then on the eighth day I have a special treat - A surprise follow-up to my series on "The Problem With Pauline."

Day Two at the Expo

Day Two at the Northern California Family History Expo was even better than the first.  The only downer was the heat - 104 degrees in the shade.  Oh and the AC inside was not cooperating is some of the rooms .  I overheard someone say that they were "sweating in places you don't want to know about!"

First up was Steve Morse's follow-up to yesterdays class - "Genealogy Beyond the Y Chromosome:  Autosomes Exposed."  I am not sure I really understood everything Mr. Morse said.  He covered alot of material in a very short amount of time.  But I think that this kind of genetic testing along with a pedigree chart or family tree matches you up ethnically with others in a database.  

Because I just love to hear Gena Philibert Ortega talk, I sat in on her class about the National Institute for Genealogical Studies.  Well that and because she was giving away a 9 course package worth $850 at the end of the talk.  I didn't win, but I did get signed up to take a free Google class that begins in August.

Gena Philibert Ortega, Me and the Misbehaving Air Conditioner

After a lovely buffet featuring Lasagna, I sat in on James Tanner's - "The FamilySearch Research Wiki: The most valuable genealogical resource on the internet."  I actually use the research wiki on many occasions and wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything, getting everything I could from this great resource.  Mr. Tanner is a great speaker, very engaging and the man knows his stuff. 

The last class of the day was Michael Booth's - "RootsMagic: Pruning, Cleaning and Extending Your Family Tree."  Even after using this program for several years, I was still a little unclear on the merging tool and if I was using it correctly.  Michael is really great at explaining things in normal human language so people like me can understand.  Oh and I also bit the bullet and got the upgrade to RootsMagic 5.  Mr. Booth promised more bells and whistles in the upgrade and I am going to install it as soon as I get home.

At the end of each Family History Expo, Holly Hansen shares some of her own genealogical research experiences with the audience and the prize drawings are held at this time.  I didn't win any of the great prizes, but I didn't lose either.  I sat in on some fantastic classes and got to spend time with some dear friends.  Holly promises to be back next year in Sacramento again in 2013 -  June 28th and 29th.  

Holly Hanson and Me

Photo  of Holly and me was taken with Holly's camera by a really nice guy whose name I don't remember but he was wearing a lovely yellow tie and every time I saw him he was smiling.


Photo of Gena and me taken by Sandra Benward from the Sacramento Roots Cellar Genealogical Society

First Day of the Family History Expo

Got to tell you people - Holly Hansen and her crew may have found the perfect venue for Northern California Expos.  The Crowne Plaza in Sacramento is located a little north of downtown Sac proper thereby avoiding the problem of finding a parking space which can be a nightmare during the week in the Capitol City.  The start and end times (1:00pm until 8:45pm) was  a great idea also.  Even on a Friday, I did not experience any traffic problems like I would have with a morning start time and a rush hour traffic end time.

I was pleasantly surprised with the great turnout on Friday.  I must admit that I was a bit skeptical about how many would show up on a Holiday weekend, but my guess was there were at least 500 genealogists in attendance, it was standing room only for the keynote address by Dean McLeod.

I went to the class by Stephen Morse - "From DNA to Genetic Genealogy: Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask."  If my high school biology teacher had explained Mendel and the fruit flies  the way Mr. Morse did, I would have had a much higher grade in the class.  I am looking forward to his follow-up class today - "Genealogy Beyond the Y Chromosome:  Autosomes Exposed."

Next, I sat in on Gena Philibert Ortega's class - "Using GenealogyWise to Find Ancestors."  I have an account and presence at GenealogyWise, but haven't been at the site in ages.  After learning about all the new and different things available there, I need to make it a regular stop to keep current with genealogical happenings around the web.

I spent the rest of my day schmoozing and catching up with friends.  Geneablogging buddies Kim von Aspern-Parker from Le Maison Duchamp, everyone's favorite meerkat Debbie Mascot from Mascot Manor Genealogy, Leah Allen - Leah's Family Tree and Gena Philibert Ortega - Gena's Genealogy and I yackty-yacked like crazy all day.

Gena has a great new book that was just published - "From The Family Kitchen" is divided into three distinct sections, this beautiful, keepsake book helps you celebrate your favorite family recipes and memories.

Part one explores the social history of food, detailing how your ancestors' diets were impacted by where and where they lived. You'll also learn how to find and collect family recipes and where to find historical recipes typical of your ancestors' era.

Part two helps you understand historical recipes with measurement and temperature conversion charts, a glossary of historical cooking terms, and historical recipes reprinted from nineteenth and early twentieth century cookbooks.

Part three is a beautiful recipe journal with pages for you to record your favorite family recipes and special memories connected to each dish.

You can purchase the book HERE, HERE for a Kindle version or HERE for a Nook version.








Disclaimer:  Gena did not pay me or twist my arm to pimp her book.  I just happen to think she is a simply mahvahlous person and a brilliant author and you need to have this book so run (don't walk)  and buy your copy now!

Fabulous Friday - The Family History Expo

The Family History Expo is here in Northern California today and tomorrow -  Friday and Saturday - July 6th and 7th  - in Sacramento!  The venue this year is the Crowne Plaza Hotel which is conveniently located right off the I80 at Madison.   Doors open at 1:00pm for registration and the exhibit area. 


Here is the agenda for today - Friday - July 6th


2:00pm - Opening keynote address by Dean L. McLeod


3:30pm - Six classes to choose from: 


How to Document your "Common Man" Ancestors in British Land Records  by Arlene H. Eakle
Evernote  by Tom Underhill
Fascinating Family History Books  by Biff and Nancy Barnes
Heritage Collector Software Suite  by Marlo E. Schuldt
FamilySearch Online: A Wealth of Resources  by James L. Tanner
What’s New in RootsMagic 5  by Michael Booth

4:50pm - Six classes to choose from:

I LOVE Libraries: Using Libraries for Your Genealogy  by Gena Philibert Ortega
Deeds and Land Records  by Billy Dubois Edgington
How to Plan and Organize a Family History Book  by Biff and Nancy Barnes
From DNA to Genetic Genealogy: Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask by Steve Morse
Will You Be Ready When Family Tree Replaces New FamilySearch?  by James L. Tanner
Writing Your Personal History (and Living to Tell About It)  by Michael Booth



6:30pm - Six classes to choose from:

British Isles Migration Patterns to America: Documenting "Original" Settlers to New England, New Netherlands, and The South by Arlene H. Eakle
Organization is Everything  by Philipp M. Mayer
10 Techniques to Shoot "Picture Perfect" with Your Cell Phone's Digital Camera  by Tom Underhill
Using GenealogyWise to Find Ancestors  by Gena Philibert Ortega
What's in Your Family History Toolbox?  by Paul Larsen
Personal Historian 2: New Tools to Write Your Life Stories  by Michael Booth



7:50pm - Six classes to choose from:

Think Like an Archivist: Finding Hidden Genealogical Materials in Libraries and Archives by Nancy Loe
Easier Scanning for Better Results  by Marlo E. Schuldt
Beyond Names and Dates: Building Your Ancestor’s Profile  by Angela Kraft
Save Money by Designing Your Family History Book for Publishing  by Janalyn Underhill
Getting Started with HeritageQuestOnline.com  by  James L. Tanner
Where in the World? Geography, GPS, and Genealogy  by  Michael Booth


I'll be at the Expo on Friday and Saturday in the Blogger Lounge.  Stop in and say Hello, I'd love to meet you!

I Love A Parade!

Especially when I get to be in it! Today the El Toyon Chapter, NSDAR participated in the 4th of July Parade here in Stockton, California. It was only a balmy 97 degrees today - perfect parade weather.

There was a huge turnout and the crowd cheered as each of the almost 100 entries passed them by. I am the one in the blue hat in the photos below.  Later back at Camp Fenley,  ribs, potato salad and watermelon for 30 friends and family.  A Most Excellent Day!

General Misbehaving at Jamboree 2012

I surprised even myself with my behavior at Jamboree a couple of weeks ago.  Just some general misbehaving and no pinatas, however I did come home with a tattoo of a black sheep on my arm.


But first some of the fun!

At the Hollywood Gala

from left to right: Kim Cotton, Sheri Fenley, Kathryn Doyle, Lisa Alzo and Elizabeth O'Neal

Elizabeth O'Neal and I

Souvenir we received for attending the Gala

More Gala Fun and Big, Big Hair

Amy Coffin , Elizabeth O'Neal and Me

Me holding up promo literature for the NGS Conference in Las Vegas 2013.  That's next year folks.  In Las Vegas!

Me and Susan Kitchen's leg - showing off our black sheep tattoos!

And this is where we got the tattoos - Ron Aarons

And last but not least, meet some of the new friends I made while at Jamboree:

Debbie Mascot - Mascot Manor Genealogy
Terri Fraser - Retracing The Past
Barry Ewell - Barry's Blog
Valerie Elkins - Family Cherished
Mara Fein, PhD, CG - Ancestry West
Jay Fonkert, CG - Four Generations Genealogy
Jana Sloan Broglin, CG - Her webpage
Warren Bittner, CG - I couldn't find a blog or webapge or website for Warren.  Hey Warren - get blogging buddy!
Laura Prescott - Her webpage


Thanks to Janet Hovorka and Family ChartMasters for the fabulous blogger beads.

Note about the photos used:  The one of me and the NGS promo literature was taken by my Dahling friend Stefani Evans, CG.  Tattoo pic courtesy of Susan Kitchens.  The rest I blatantly lifted from somewhere and I do thank you who ever you are.

Northern California Family History Expo

Holly Hansen and the Family History Expo is coming back to Northern California!  This time in our state capitol - Sacramento!  It will be Friday and Saturday - July 6th and 7th  at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 5321 Date Avenue, Sacramento  And the best part is registration for both days is only $69 - what a bargain for all the classes being offered.  Here are just a few general descriptions of the offerings:


TECHY TYPE CLASSES


Photo retouching for beginners
Classes on how to use RootsMagic
How to use Evernote
How to use your scanner better
How to get great photos with your cell phone camera
How to get organized
Using GPS with genealogy

PUBLISHING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY


Classes on how to prepare, write and design a book
Storytelling and oral history

ACROSS THE POND


British Land Records
British Isles Migration to America
German genealogy research
The Miller Roll - Cherokee Indians
Irish research

DNA, GENETIC TESTING FOR BEGINNERS


ON THE WEB


How to use the FamilySearch Research Wiki
How to search Ancestry.com
How to search the 1940 census
Great Internet Site for Genealogists
How to search using Google
How to search HeritageQuest
How to use GenealogyWise
How to use FamilySearch.org

The scheduled speakers are a small army of fantastic people:
James Baker, PhD, CG, Biff and Nancy Barnes, Michael Booth, Arlene Eakle, PhD, Billy Edgington, Holley Hansen, Angela Kraft, Paul Larsen, Nancy Loe, MA, MLS, Philipp Mayer, Dean McLeod, Steve Morse, PhD, Gena Philibert-Ortega, Marlo Schuldt, James Tanner, Tom Underhill and Janalyn Underhill



Are you a blogger?  Do you want to start but don't know how?  Just want to learn more about blogging?  Then you are in for a treat!  Joining me, The Educated Genealogist,  as Bloggers of Honor are:

Leah Allen - Leah's Family Tree
Arlene Eakle, PhD - Genealogy Evidence
Holly Hansen - Family History Expos Genealogy Blog
Nancy Loe, MA, MLS - Sassy Jane Genealogy Blog
Debbie Mascot - Mascot Manor Genealogy
Leland Meitzler - Genealogy Blog
James Tanner - Genealogy's Star
Kim von Aspern-Parker - Le Maison Duchamp

Any one of us will be happy to talk your tail off about blogging and genealogy!

So make your plans now to come to Sacramento.  I'll be there so come by and say Hello!

Jamboree 2012 and Progress on My List

I can't believe that it's almost over - another outstanding conference - The 43rd annual Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree.

From the minute I arrived, it has been non-stop activity.  The unofficial welcoming committee of Kathryn Doyle, Amy Coffin, George Morgan & Drew Smith were camped out by the entrance to the hotel ready to pounce, er I mean welcome each unsuspecting arrival with hugs and squeals of delight.  Each new arrival then became part of the welcome committee and soon the lobby was full of genealogists from all over the country.  It was there I was able to meet one of the victims on my list of people I was stalking for the weekend - Laura Prescott.  Have to tell you, she is one of the nicest people ever and actually knew my name.  I think she was secretly relieved to have met me at the start so that she could be removed from the list.

Friday morning I hosted a roundtable discussion on lineage societies.  One of the people who sat down has an ancestor who was a servant in the household of George Washington and wanted to know if that would qualify her for membership into DAR.  While I wanted to tell her yes, I am not entirely certain and will have to check with DAR genealogists in Washington, DC to get a definite answer for her. But wow, what a great family history story she has!  The rest of the day was spent catching up with old friends and making new ones.

Friday evening was the Hollywood Gala.  I took full advantage of the opportunity to don a very sparkly dress and my best gold tiara.  My roommate - Elizabeth O'Neal was tres elegant in her velvet and best fur cape.  Best soiree ever - Thanks Paula Hinkle and the entire So Cal Gen Society for such a fun and creative event!

Saturday I hit the jackpot and was able to cross almost everyone off my list of victims I was stalking.  Thanks to Stefani Evans, I was introduced to Jana Broglin.  Ever since her talk on prostitution in the West, I have idolized her.  Josh Taylor came off the list when I attended his talk on compiled genealogies this afternoon.  It was live streamed so I hope everyone took the opportunity to watch it. I met Warren Bittner - again thanks to Stefani Evans.  I think Warren  was pleased to have met me.  He had never been stalked before - told me I was his first stalker. I think he was equally as pleased to know that he was no longer on my list.  Jay Fonkert was the real surprise.  He joined a group of us for dinner and it turns out that his wife and I are related.  More on that story later.

So here it is - the last night of Jamboree and Curt Witcher still remains on my list.  Sigh.  I still have tomorrow but need to come up with a much better approach or go home with yet another fail in my quest to meet Mr. Witcher.



Disclaimer - My stalking is always done in a totally non-restraining order kind of way and with the best of intentions, and only for my personal delight and entertainment.

Poof! Like Magic It Is June

OMG!  I cannot believe that another year has gone by and it is going to be June again.  I swear I just closed my eyes for a minute and when I opened them - Poof! Like magic - it is time for Jamboree again.

The 43rd annual Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree is June 8th thru 10th at the Burbank Marriott Hotel.  


The list of speakers and the topics they intend to cover for the weekend are outstanding.


I am not giving any presentations however I will be (wo)manning a couple of different booths over the weekend.


Friday, June 8th I will be hosting the genealogy roundtable for discussion on lineage societies. This is part of the Genealogy World Roundtable Discussions that are part of the JAMBOFREE sessions.  There is no charge and you do not have to be registered for the conference to join in.  There will be over 25 different topics at 25 tables set up in Pavillion A.  Pop in anytime between 9:00am and Noon.


On Sunday, June 10th I will be in the "Ask An Expert" Booth from 10am to 11am. Come on by and play "Stump the Genie."


Right after that I move over to the California State Genealogical Alliance booth for an hour or two.  I serve on the board as secretary for the Alliance.

On Friday evening, June 9th there will be an event you won't want to miss - the Hollywood Gala!  Red carpet, paparazzi, glitz and glamour.  Oooohhh this event is sooo up my alley.  Costumes are optional but who would want to miss an opportunity to dress up like a "movie stah" and vamp around?  Certainly not me.


I must also try to make time for stalking some of the best and brightest in the genealogy world. ( Disclaimer:  I stalk in a TOTALLY NON-RESTRAINING ORDER kind of way)  I failed miserably last year in my quest to have Curt Witcher notice me.  So I am going to try again this year but in case of a fail I have backups selected:  Warren Bittner, Jana Broglin, Jay Fonkert, Laura Prescott and Josh Taylor.  To qualify as a victim of my stalking the person must be someone I have never met but really, really want to.  I did meet Jay Fonkert when we share duties manning the APG table at the NGS conference at Salt Lake City a couple of years ago but I doubt he remembers me so he is on the list.


I have heard through the grapevine that it might be best not to bring a pinata with me this year.  Sigh.  I have suggested an alternate form of entertainment but for some reason have not heard back from the powers that be.  Heavy Sigh.

FOR MY DAHLING MOTHER

A Video for my Dahling Mummy.  Happy Mother's Day!