It’s Saturday night and time for Randy’s weekly challenge at Genea-Musings. This week’s challenge is to discuss some of your genealogical activities. So let’s get started! Which genealogy software programs for your computer do you use (e.g., Family Tree Maker, Reunion, GRAMPS, etc.)? I use RootsMagic, though I used Family Tree when I started years ago. Which online family trees have information submitted by you – in either a separate online tree (e.g., Ancestry Member Tree) or a universal (collaborative) online tree (e.g., WikiTree)? I’ve only submitted to Ancestry. For which subscription genealogy record providers (e.g., Ancestry) do you have...
Last night I got back from GRIP (Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh) in Pittsburgh where I attended the “Intermediate Genealogy” course. What a neat week! GRIP was held at La Roche College in the outskirts of Pittsburgh. It’s a very nice, small campus. The building on the left was the main dorm building and on the right is the building where we had classes, meals, larger gatherings and even Maia’s Books. As you can see, it is only a short walk if it rains – which it threatened to do but never did! In fact, the last two days were BEAUTIFUL...
I’m now in Pennsylvania at GRIP (Genealogical Research Instituted of Pittsburgh) where I’ll be taking the week-long course, “Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper“, taught by Paula Stuart-Warren along with Debbie Mieszala and Joshua Taylor. I got a private dorm room and it’s pretty nice though a little dirty and my air-conditioning isn’t working. I’ts about 8 pm, though, and it’s cooling off and I have my window open so I should be OK through the night. And, I hope they get it fixed tomorrow! I’m on the ‘meal plan’ so I get three meals a day in the cafeteria. Tonight...
Southern California’s Genealogical Society presented the multi-day Jamboree last weekend. I wasn’t able to travel there, but planned on watching some of the ‘live streaming’ videos they were offering for free. But, my schedule didn’t allow it. Well, they are offering them FREE online until July 5th! Then, later this summer they will be offered to members on their site. (Membership is $35 per year.) If the above link doesn’t work, I found it by going to the Jamboree site and then clicking on the “watch on livestream” button which is near the green “follow” button. The 10 session available...
Last night I had a wonderful find: I found a family tree that a distant cousin had posted on My Heritage. On that tree was posted a marriage certificate for my third great grandparents in Germany! This gave me the actual village my ancestors were from! Also, he had posted PHOTOS of this couple with one of their children! I have asked permission to post these photos and hope to be able to do that soon! In the meantime, I’ve been working on the marriage record. It is written in Latin and I used about five different websites to help...
This week I signed up for my first genealogical institute! It’s called GRIP (Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh) and will be in late July in Pittsburgh. I’m taking Paula Stewart-Warren’s “Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper.” Besides the daily classes and the evening lectures, we will also have one evening where we can spend time researching at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. About half of my family comes from Pennsylvania and I’ve never been there before, so I hope I find something at this library! I’ll be sleeping in a private dorm room and eating cafeteria food. I’m excited to...
