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By Ginger Smith, January 11, 2012

If you haven’t registered for RootsTech 2012 yet, you will want to do so by January 13th to take advantage of the special discount price of $149. The RootsTech 2012 Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2-4, is a dynamic, one-of-a-kind event.

It is designed to bring technologists together with genealogists of all skill levels, so they can learn from each other and find solutions to the challenges faced in family history research today; hence the lineup of speakers this year from Google, Instructure, Ancestry.com, and FamilySearch!

Check out these exciting evening events:
Thursday, February 2: Exercise your Funny Bone with Comedian Ryan Hamilton
Friday, February 3: Late Night at the Family History Library

Of course, attending RootsTech 2012 is a great excuse to spend some productive research time at the Family History Library any time you want. The RootsTech 2012 Conference venue is practically adjacent to the conference venue in Salt Lake City! Come early, stay late, plan to satisfy your research needs.
Go to RootsTech 2012 to explore the full list of topics, sessions, speakers, and conference offerings.

Take advantage of the special registration rate now. We look forward to seeing you at RootsTech!

Don’t Miss the Final $149 Discount Rate for RootsTech 2012 in Salt Lake City!

* A new family history and technology conference
* February 2-4, 2012
* Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
* The special discount ends January 13, 2012.

RootsTech is sponsored by Microsoft, Dell, FamilySearch, Oracle, the National Genealogical Society, brightsolid, Ancestry.com, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Archives.com, Brigham Young University, and the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Disclaimer: Information about this conference was forwarded to D-OGS from FGS, a supporting organization of RootsTech2012. D-OGS has no affiliation or endorsement of Rootstech at all whatsoever.

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By Ginger Smith, May 11, 2011

Day 1 of the National Genealogical Conference in Charleston, South Carolina is off to a great start! The Elias’s and I have been walking the halls, picking up goodies and swapping stories about which speakers and lectures are the best and worse!

Here is Rob and Cathy with the NGS President Ann Hilke from Raleigh, NC:

Me (Ginger Smith) and Ann Hilke (NGS President):

We picked up Ava Knackman along the way and went out to dinner at Buffalo Wings:

We met D-OGS members Barbara Spruill and Nerissa Williams at the conference as well. We have yet to find Dan Durham who is supposed to be there. I also met one of my classmates there as well. She used to be a member of D-OGS.

I met David Rencher from FamilySearch. He will be visiting Durham and Chapel Hill next week to research his Rencher family roots. If anyone knows anything about the Rencher family, please let me know and I will put you in contact with him. He is also looking for a cemetery that used to be located where the mobile home trailer park is located just outside of Hillsborough off of I-40. If anyone knows anything about this cemetery or where it may have been moved to (or if it was paved over) please let me know.

I have been writing about my experiences at NGS on my personal blog, including some press releases from FamilySearch.org, the keynote address from David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and . If you would like to follow along, feel free to read about it at my GenealogyByGinger Blog.

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By Ginger Smith, March 10, 2011

Legacy software is sponsoring a free webinar on data backup tools and processes on March 23.

“Have you ever experienced a data loss when it comes to your genealogy research? Not yet? Well if not, have you prepared for what might happen if your hard drive fails? What if your laptop is lost or stolen?

Join webinar host Geoff Rasmussen and dynamic presenter, Thomas MacEntee (author of Google for Genealogists webinar-on-CD) for this 90-minute free webinar, Backing Up Your Genealogy Data. You will learn the basics of backing up all your genealogy data including identifying data, common backup methods and how to use free online programs to help you make sure your data will always be available! Participants will learn various methods for backing up their genealogy data including many free online programs such as DropBox, Google Docs, Picasa and more!

The live webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 23, 2011, so register today to reserve your virtual seat. Registration is free.”

About the presenter

Thomas MacEntee is a professional genealogist specializing in the use of technology and social media to improve genealogical research and as a means of interacting with others in the family history community. Utilizing over 25 years of experience in the information technology field, Thomas writes and lectures on the many ways in which blogs, Facebook and Twitter can be leveraged to add new dimensions to the genealogy experience. As the creator of GeneaBloggers.com he has organized and engaged a community of over 1,300 bloggers to document their own journeys in the search for ancestors.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at:

• 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 1pm Central
• 12pm Mountain/Arizona
• 11am Pacific
• 6pm GMT

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here’s how to attend:

1. Register at www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp today. It’s free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email during the week prior to the webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
6. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Other upcoming webinars

Wednesday, March 2, 2011. More Blogging for Beginners with DearMYRTLE. Register here.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011. Building a Research Toolbox with Thomas MacEntee. Register here.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011. Preserving Family Photographs: 1839 to the Present with Maureen Taylor. Register here.

View past webinars

Our webinars are available in the archives at www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp for at least 30 days. Select webinars are now available to purchase on CD:

• Google for Genealogists by Thomas MacEntee, 1 hour 28 minutes.
• Sharing Genealogy Electronically by Geoff Rasmussen, 1 hour 49 minutes.
• Chasing Women: Finding Your Female Ancestors, by Leland Meitzler, 1 hour 21 minutes.

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By Ginger Smith, February 11, 2011

There is a HUGE brand new “genealogy meets technology” conference going on right
now in Salt Lake City. Many of the presentations are streaming LIVE online
at http://rootstech.familysearch.org

To keep up with what genealogists are saying about these presentations, follow
the Twitter hashtag #rootstech here:http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23rootstech

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By Ginger Smith, August 5, 2010

The August 2010 issue of the eNews has been published and is now available to view. The eNews features timely information about the Durham-Orange Genealogical Society and our upcoming events. Each edition also includes Meeting Minutes, Genealogical Queries, and articles related to genealogy.

Here are the highlights from this month’s eNews:

Local Events
– D-OGS regular monthly meeting August 4th, 2010 at the Seymour Senior Center
– D-OGS Computer Interest Group meeting August 14th at the Chapel Hill Library

Meeting Minutes – July 7, 2010

2nd Saturday Events at Bennet Place State Historic Site – NC Authors

Funeral Home Records – by Christine Sievers

Genealogical Queries – MORGAN, HARWARD, ACKLES

National Events and Conferences –

Midwestern Roots, Indianapolis, August 6-7, 2010

APG Conference, Knoxville, TN, August 17, 2010

FGS Conference, Knoxville, August 18-21, 2010

All past issues of the eNews can be accessed at the eNews Archive.

Copyright © 2010 by Ginger R. Smith, Durham-Orange Genealogical Society

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By Ginger Smith, February 12, 2010

Registration for the 2010 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference, scheduled for 18-21 August 2010 in beautiful Knoxville, Tennessee, is now open. This year’s conference theme is “Rediscovering America’s First Frontier,” and is co-hosted by the East Tennessee Historical Society and the Kentucky Historical Society.

The conference schedule includes 173 presentations by 73 noted speakers, including a large number of sponsored luncheons with speakers. There will be two exciting evening events: “Come Sit a Spell: Ballads, Mountain Stories, and Country Fare,” organized by the host societies; and the annual gala FGS banquet, “An Evening in Old Appalachia,” which will be held at the fascinating Museum of Appalachia.

The exciting program includes a completely redesigned “Focus on Societies” day that will present societies’ officers, as well as their members and volunteers, with all new programs and focus group sessions to help improve their operations and effectiveness.

ProQuest is sponsoring Librarians Day, a full day of free sessions for librarians and archivists that includes a tour of the outstanding McClung Historical Collection of the Knox County Public Library.

FamilySearch will present an extensive track of sessions about its resources and projects that you won’t want to miss. Ancestry.com will present a free day of classes for the public and conference attendees on Saturday, plus they will offer free document scanning sessions to attendees by appointment throughout the conference. The Genealogy Guys Podcast will also be there to record a “live” session at the conference.

The Exhibit Hall will be filled with a wide array of vendors and organizations, and a special Spotlight on Societies area will showcase local and regional genealogical and historical societies. There will be extended Exhibit Hall hours on Friday evening, followed by a gala reception, hosted by FamilySearch, to kick off the 1812 Pension Files Digitization Project.

There are more activities and research opportunities too numerous to list. However, you can learn all about the 2010 FGS Conference and register for this exciting four-day event at the Conference Website. Be sure to also visit or subscribe to the FGS Conference Blog for lots more information and travel advice.

We look forward to seeing you in Knoxville in August!

Cherel Henderson and Pat Oxley

National Conference Co-Chairs

2010 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference

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By Ginger Smith, December 12, 2009

The following announcement was taken from the D-OGS December 2009 Newsletter.

Saturday 28 November 2009 – The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Canadiana Department of the North York Central Library have joined together to sponsor “Disease & Distress!”, an all-day workshop on how our ancestors handled adversity. With expert speakers from Ontario and the United States, this event will offer a window on our ancestors’ struggles with hardships and devastation – from the “white plague” to life on the WWI home front – and the footprints they left behind. Early registration rates are available until October 23rd.

For program and registration details, visit www.torontofamilyhistory.org. To check availability, call 416-733-2608 (voice mail) or e-mail info@torontofamilyhistory.org.